
Independence Hall, 1876. 

FRONT VIEW. 



« 



AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT 

UK 

THE OLD STATE HOUSE 

OF PENNSYLVANIA 

NOW KNOWN AS 

THE HALL OF INDEPENDENCE 

BY 

/ 

FRANK M ETTING 

WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS 




BOSTON 

JAMES R. OSGOOD AND COMPANY 

1876 




Copyright, 1874, 

By FRANK M ETTING 



KIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: 
•EREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY 
H. O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY. 



PREFACE 



In the work that I had " found for my hand to do," it became 
necessary to examine carefully into the details of the building of the 
State House of Pennsylvania ; much that surprised me came to light 
not only in the circumstances of its erection but in its subsequent 
C history. Instead of Dr. Kearsley, to whom the credit had been as- 
cribed, I discovered that its Architect and actual Builder was one 
of the greatest men ever fostered by Pennsylvania ; and that every 
important movement, from the very inception of the efforts of the 
colonists to assert their constitutional liberty, first assumed shape 
either within this building or under the shadow of its walls. 

A friendly suggestion thrown out induced me to extend still further 
my investigations, with a view of preserving the information in print 
in some accessible form. 

This desire was enhanced by the hope that the general public would 
ultimately share in the interest which every brick of this old build- 
ing possesses for me, and thus be inclined to lend each his individual 
aid towards its preservation, and to insure its proper custodianship for 
all time. 

The desultory way in which, from causes unnecessary to be detailed, 
my memoranda have been thrown together, must leave its impress, 
and I cannot expect to be exempt from inaccuracies ; but having done 
my best without fee or reward, present or prospective, I have no 
apologies to make to the public for claiming their notice. To those 
nearer to me, whose social claims have from time to time been put 
aside, and I now have reason to fear in some cases neglected, from 
absorption in my work of " restoration," I tender in extenuation this 
monograph, descriptive of the causes which led me thereunto, but 
above all others, to him now beyond the reach of my words : — 

To 



To 

THE MEMORY 

OF 

BENJAMIN ETTING 

I DEDICATE 

THIS VOLUME. 

F. M. E. 
[arch 27, 1876. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Public Accommodations before the building of the State House 3 

Preparations for building a State House 9 

Building the State House 13 

Its first Use 15 

Sketch of Andrew Hamilton, its Builder 16 

^he Judiciary and the Executive of the Colony occupy the 

State House 24 

VThe State House Bell ordered 27 

The Colonial Dissensions 32 

Union of the Colonies 39 

■"•TThe Congress of 1754 40 

Massachusetts fosters Union 50 

The Congress of 1765 51 

The Stamp Act resisted — Independence foreshadowed . . 52 

Pennsylvania adheres to the Union 63 

The Observatory 64 

The Establishment of a Chlna Factory 65 

The Philadelphia Tea Party 67 

Effect of the Boston Port Bill 74 

The First Continental Congress 83 

The Initiation of Independence 91 

Instructions of Virginia to move for Independence ... 91 

Motion therefor accordingly made by Richard Henry Lee . 94 

Independence resolved 100 

oThe Declaration adopted 101 

-^TThe Declaration proclaimed 102 

The Bell foretells the Jubilee of 1876 104 

Independence made unanimous 105 

^The First Constitution of the State of Pennsylvania . . 106 

British Occupation of Philadelphia • 107 

^Articles of Confederation signed 109 

Congress leaves Philadelphia Ill 



v j TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

/ Convention to frame the Constitution of the United States 
Convention to frame the Second Constitution of the State of 

Pennsylvania 

The State Bouse relinquished 

Sketch of the Banqueting Hall 

Lectures on Electricity at the State House 

The Steeple removed • 

Sketch of the Wings 

Sketch of the State House Yard 

Sketch of Congress Hall .... 

Sketch of City Hall 

Sketch of the Philosophical Society Building 

Sketch of Peale's Museum 

The Steeple restored 

Thk Restoration of Independence Hall . 

Its Illustrations 

Establishment of the National Museum 
Dedication of Independence Hall and 
ple of the United States 



its Adjuncts to the Pko- 



117 

120 

121 

121 

125 

127 

129 

131 

135 

146 

152 

154 

158 

166 

173 

179 

183 



E^TGKAVHnTGS. 



Independence Hall, 1876 Frontispiece. 

Independence Hall in 1776 Title Pay Illustrated. 

The Portrait op William Penn Face 2 

The L^titia Cottage (the First Residence of William Penn) 4 

The Slate Roof House (Government House) .... 6 

C The First Town Hall (and Court House) 8 

Elevation of the State House 13 

The Portrait of Andrew Hamilton 17 

The March of the Paxton Boys on Philadelphia, and what 

came of it. Scene at the Court House or Town Hall . 46 

Non-Importation Resolutions 54 

The Burial of the Stamp Act in England (upon its repeal) * 58 

The Tea-pot Tempest 67. 

The State House Yard (as enclosed during the Revolution) 82 

Independence Chamber (after Restoration) ..... 84 

The Portrait of John Nixon 103 

Liberty Bell 104 

The Declaration of Independence 105 

The Treaty Elm 127 

The Old State House, 1781-1813 (Rear View) .... 128 

The Old State House, 1781-1813 (Front View) .... 138 

Congress Hall, 1790-1800 140 

Charles Wilson Peale 154 

Independence Hall 1876 (Rear View) 162 

Independence Chamber as a General Receptacle (before Res- 
toration) 165 

The Table upon which " The Declaration " was signed and 
Chairs of President and Members of Congress of 1776 

(after Restoration) 167 

Independence Chamber, Western Side (after Restoration) . 173 

The Hall of the Old State House (after Restoration) . 179 

The National Museum (Eastern Side) 180 

The Vestibule of Independence Hall (after Restoration) . 186 



ENGRA VINGS. 



TEXTUAL ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Signature of Charles II 2 

Signature to Penn's Charter 3 

Signature of William Penn 3 

Bank Meeting House . 5 

Signature of Thomas Makin 7 

Draft of Bill for Building State House 10 

Signature of David Lloyd 11 

Signature of Patrick Gordon 11 

Signature of Wm. Allen 15 

Signature of James Logan 16 

Signature of Hamilton Family . . . . . . .18 

Signature of Franklin Family 18 

Signature of Wm. Bradford 20 

Signature of J. Peter Zenger 20 

Signature of King James II 27 

Proclamation of King James II. 28 

Signature of David Rittenhouse 32 

Signature of Earl of Holdernesse . 40 

Order for Payment of Wages of Assembly-Man to Benjamin 

Franklin 41 

Receipt of Benjamin and Deborah Franklin therefor . . 42 

Sign Manual of King George II 45 

Sign Manual of King George III 45 

Privy Purse in 1753 and in 1763 47 

Signatures of James Otis, Thomas Cushing, Oxenbridge Teacher 

and Others 48 

Stamp of 1765 50 

Signature of Mr. Speaker White 51 

Signature of Mr. Speaker Fox of Pennsylvania .... 51 
The "Pennsylvania Journal" of October 31, 1765 ... 56 
Third and Last Supplement to the "Maryland Gazette," Octo- 
ber 31, 1765 57 

Repeal of Stamp Act 58 

Burnt Stamped Paper 59 

Wrecked Stamped Paper 60 

Heading of the "New York Gazette" 60 

Signature of Daniel Dulany 61 

The Declaratory Act 61 

Signature of Lord Hillsborough 63 

Signature of Joseph Galloway 79 



ENGRA VINGS. ix 

Carpenter's Hall 80 

Signature of Josiah Quincy, Jr 81 

Pennsylvania Bill ok Credit, Resolve Money .... 86 

Pennsylvania Bill of Credit, General Issue 87 

Signature of Daniel Roberdeau . 90 

Signature of Edmund Pendleton 92 

Resolution of Richard Henry Lee for Independence ... 95 

Signature of Henry Wisner 99 

Signature of John Alsop 99 

Signature of John Dickinson 100 

Signature of Charles Humphreys 100 

Signature of Thomas Willing 100 

Signature of John Rogers 100 

Card of Admission to Lecture on Electricity 125 

SjfrXATURES OF PHILIP SyNG AND OF THOMAS HoPKTNSON . . 126 

Inn opposite the State House 129 

Caricature of Removal of Congress to Philadelphia . . 139 

Card of Admission to Peale's Museum 156 



HISTORY 



INDEPENDENCE HALL. 



TO tell the story of the old State House of Pennsylvania in full 
would be to chronicle provincial history for more than half a 
century ; it would be to describe the vicissitudes of a colony but re- 
cently planted in the New World, to trace its gradual growth and 
transition into a distinct and independent sovereignty, and its final 
merger in a nation whose creation it contributed to, and whose birth 
it witnessed. While we do not undertake this, we must glance even at 
the incidents which preceded the erection of the edifice and recall 
those more prominent events in the history of the State and of the 
nation, which, occurring under the roof or within the shadow of its 
venerable walls, give immortality to the very bricks and mortar. 

If, in investigating the antecedents of the State House or in invok- 
ing the shades of its builders, we are led into details of inanimate ob- 
jects otherwise trivial, we may well point to the fact that around them 
the all potent power of association has set an imperishable halo, whose 
light is now as clearly recognized in temporal as in spiritual illustra- 
tions. 

Young as our country is, the actuality, so to speak, of our Founders 
is already losing itself in the mists of the past ; so long, however, as 
we can preserve the material objects left to us which those great men 
saw, used, or even touched, the thrill of vitality may still be trans- 
mitted unbroken. 

In description " one hundred and ninety years ago " is almost as 
indefinite, as unreal to our adult ears as the '" once upon a time " that 
was wont to usher in the fairy tales of early childhood ; but give us 
the Treaty Elm, the residence of Penn, the Home of Washington, the 
"strong box " of Robert Morris, the walking stick of Franklin — what 
you will — material evidences of the public action, or even of the daily 
life and habits of the men of the day, and we can annihilate distance 
in time as in space. They serve as talismans with which to conjure 



2 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

up forms and figures, and endow them with life. A letter written by 
the hand of Penn, appeals as strongly to us — is as distinct and com- 
prehensible at the distance of two hundred years, as a mechanical 
autograph transmitted by House's telegraph from a point as many 
miles away. 

The perpetuity of such associations must essentially depend upon 
our appreciation of the events which gave them being. So long as 
the truths declared self-evident by the men of 1776 remain manifest 
to their descendants, so long as we " the sovereign people of America" 
possess sufficient worth to make feasible the government then insti- 
tuted, just so long will we cherish and keep undefiled the birth cham- 
ber of the Republic. 

Nor are the memories of the State House confined to the epoch of 
the Revolution. Directly and indirectly they bring before us some of 
the grandest characters in the history of the world's progress during 
the past two hundred years. 

William Penn reached Newcastle in Delaware, on the 27th of Oc- 
tober, 1682, to take possession of the territory granted to him in 

America by King 
Charles II. The 
frame of govern- 
ment "agreed 
rx^iA-/y /x) ^s^ upon by himself 

and certain free- 
men of the Province," was published ere he left England ; it provided 
for the Proprietary as Governor, a Provincial or Governor's Council 
consisting of seventy-tivo members, and one House of Assembly, the 
representatives to which were to be elected by the freemen of the 
Province to the number of two hundred. 

Accompanied in his own ship — the Welcome, — by less than suf- 
ficient to form a Council of the proportion contemplated, he had been 
preceded by about the number of his grantees sufficient to constitute a 
" House of Assembly," but it was no part of his design to restrict to 
his own followers the privileges he had granted. The Swedes, the 
Finns, the Dutch, whom he expected to find, were to be naturalized, 
while the then settlers, grantees of the Duke of York, and of Lord 
Baltimore, who pay " scot and lot to the government," recognizing 
" the one Almighty eternal God to be the Creator, Upholder, and 
Ruler of the world," were to be placed upon an equal footing. In 
" laying the fundamentals " at the first Assembly all the freemen were 
to be members thereof. 






The portrait of William Penn. 



PENN'S FIRST ASSEMBLY 



Penn's first Assembly convened at Chester, on the 4th day of De- 
cember, 1G82. Its numbers were small, notwithstanding the liberal- 




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LjWJMk 



>ttr 



PKNUS SEAL AND SIGNATURE TO Tin: PENNSYLVANIA CHAKTEK, WITH SIGNATURES OK THE 

WITNESSES. 

ity of the invitation. Its work, prepared in some measure in advance, 
though alterations in ratifying the " Great Law," or general system 




^M^ 




of jurisprudence, bear unmistakable evidences of other and less lib- 
eral minds than Penn's, was accomplished in three days. This ses- 
sion was held, tradition tells us, in a small brick house of one story 
and a half, belonging to one John Hart. 



4 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Pcnn shortly afterwards issued his writs for the election of members 
of his Council according to programme, seventy-two in number, and 
included an invitation to every freeman to appear at an Assembly at 
Philadelphia, on the 10th of March, 1683, pursuant to the Constitu- 
tion he had framed. 

But the freeholders to whom these writs were addressed, while mak- 
ing "their humble acknowledgments of the favor intended them," 
asked attention to the smallness of their numbers, and the fewness of 
those acquainted with public business, together with their general in- 
ability to support the charge of such great elections, etc., concluding 
with the request that, out of the twelve elected from the county, three 
might be selected for councillors and the remaining nine form the 
county representation in Assembly. Thus the numbers were reduced 
to eighteen for the Council and fifty-four for the Assembly. The six 
counties being composed of three for Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, 
Bucks, and Chester — and the "three lower counties," afterwards 
constituting Delaware. 

Even with the reduction thus made, there then stood on the site of 
Philadelphia no tenement capable of accommodating this first govern- 
ment assemblage. It is probable that Penn met his Council in the yet 
unfinished house of George Guest, which stood near the spot where 
he is reported to have first landed — a house familiarly known to us 
as " The Blue Anchor Tavern." 

The usual Hobson's choice of that day, as well for the individuals 
themselves, as for our annalists when at a loss for the locus in quo — 
the " Meeting House " — was not yet built at Philadelphia. 

The wide spreading branches of the Treaty Elm would form an 
inviting shelter, but the season of the year forbids that inference, 
besides which it was rather remote from the place where the Council 
was sitting, and from the landing. The caves along the banks of the 
river in which the settlers were living were too small to hold an as- 
sembly of fifty-four men ; thus we are feign to believe that as the 
Swedes' Church was not very far off at Wicaco, it had the honor of af- 
fording shelter to the first Assembly of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. 

Its proceedings belong to general history. 

The building familiarly known as " Penn's Cottage," in Laetitia 
Court, near Market Street, 1 appears to have been finished in the Fall 
of 1683, and was occupied by the Proprietary during the remainder 
of his stay in Pennsylvania. In it met the next following Provincial 
Council, and its successors for many years. The precedent seems thus 

1 This cottage, though somewhat changed in its exterior, is still (1875) standing 



EARLY MEETINGS OF COUNCIL AND ASSEMBLY. 5 

to have been established for the Council to meet at the Governor's 
residence, since they unquestionably continued the practice till the 
erection of the State House, to which, as will be seen, they removed 
in 1747. 

The Assembly was even more peripatetic from force of circum- 
stances. 

A Friends' " Meeting House," of however rough a construction, was 
prepared, shortly after Penn's arrival, and undoubtedly served for 
holding sessions of the Legislature. It and its successor — built within 
the same vicinity, Front Street,' above Arch, and known as the Bank 




>'K MHKTIN'G Hol/SK. 



Meeting House — seems to have been continued in this use for twelve 
years. During this period there had been built a private house of 



6 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

some pretensions on the lower side of Front Street, between Walnut 
and Spruce, which proved "too big for a private man," as Penn wrote 
in 1687, and " as Richard Whitpain has been at great expense for the 
advancement of the Province, and taketh share here (in England) on 
all occasions for its honor, I can do no less than recommend to you 
for public service his great house, which would provide you a conven- 
iency above what my cottage affords. It were reputable to take at 
least a moiety of it which might serve for all the offices of State." 

The hint does not seem to have been taken in Mr. Whitpain's life- 
time, though about eight years afterwards, on the 10th of September, 
1695, we find the Assembly met in " the large room " of this mansion, 
and in order to pay the rent to Sarah Whitpain, the members then 
and there obliged themselves to defray the charges personally, and un- 
dertook to collect the same from their respective counties. 

In another year the " Carpenter mansion," known as the Slate 
Roof House l served their turn ; but we find that in 1701, the Assem- 

1 In reference to this building Mr. Westcott, in his invaluable History of Philadel- 
phia, says: " This house was built by Samuel Carpenter, and was then considered as 
one of the best edifices in the town. That the mansion was rented to Penn is evi- 
dent from a letter written by him to James Logan, in September, 1701, when about 
leaving for England, in which he says : ' Thou may continue in the house I lived in 
until the year is up.' But Logan, it seems, continued to occupy the house for some 
time longer as an office for the transaction of government affairs, and writes to Penn 
in 1702; 'I am forced to keep this house still, there being no accommodation to be 
had elsewhere for the public business.' About the year 1703, this house was sold 
to William Trent, for £850. Whether this purchaser (afterwards the founder of 
Trenton) occupied the house himself, we are not informed; but it seems to have 
been regarded by Logan as a very desirable property, and peculiarly fitted for the 
residence of the Proprietary should he again return to his government. Thus, in 
1709, he writes : ' William Trent designing for England, is about selling his house 
he bought of Samuel Carpenter, which thou lived in with the improvement of a 
beautiful garden, etc' ' I wish it could be made thine as nothing in this town is 
so well fitting a Governor. His price is £900 of our money, which it is hard thou 
canst not spare. I would give twenty to thirty pounds out of my own pocket that 
it were thine — nobody's but thine.' " 

But Logan's wish was not gratified. The house became the property of Isaac 
Norris, an eminent citizen, for some time Speaker of the Assembly, and distin- 
guished for the part which he took in public affairs. From him it descended to his 
heirs, and until the late disposal of the lot to the Commercial Exchange Association 
was still the property of the descendants of the Norris family. It was occupied for 
many years as a superior and fashionable boarding-house, and was distinguished as 
the lodgings of a number of persons of note while sojourning in Philadelphia. Gen- 
eral Forbes, the successor of Braddock, died here in 1759, and was buried with 
military honors, the pomp of his funeral exceeding anything of the kind pre\ iously 
witnessed in the city. 




ML m 




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o as 

£ 6 



5 B 



EARLY MEETINGS OF THE ASSEMBLY. 7 

bly returned to Whitpain's bouse, which had passed into the tenure of 
Joseph Shippen ; its "great front room" was then by resolution "or- 
dered to be prepared and put in order," and Joseph Shippen was 
allowed compensation for it " by the government." 

After the new charter extorted from William Penn in 1701, the 
Council was no longer recognized as a part of the Legislature, and the 
number of members of Assembly was reduced first by the secession of 
the representatives of the three lower counties, and by the terms of 
the charter, to twelve, though shortly afterwards raised to twenty-six 
members. 

We now find this body in occupancy of the public school-house, 
much to the annoyance and professional /^^ r^^r C^ 

detriment of its master, Thomas Makin, f j£^^ S^^^ts^ 
who was also clerk to the Assembly. ( ^- £y- ^-^'_ ^+ 

Mr. Makin was voted in consequence 
some compensation for the loss of his pupils. 1 

The building of a third " meeting house," at the corner of Second 
and Market streets, seems to have drawn off " Friends " from the 
Front Street meeting-house. At all events in the latter the Assem- 
bly were enabled for some time to hold their sessions apparently 
undisturbed, but it would seem they were again placed under the 
necessity of procuring a private house in 1727-28, when it became 
palpable to the members, as well as to the citizens, that " it was 
incommodious as well as dishonorable for the General Assembly of 
the Province to be obliged annually to hire some private house to 
meet and sit in," and that it was now full time that a Government 
or State House should be erected, so that the Assembly, the Gov- 
ernor's Council, and the Supreme Court of the Colony might have 
appropriate chambers. 

No data are accessible from which any positive conclusion can be 
drawn as to the place of sitting of the Supreme Court, anterior to this 
time. Its sessions had been very irregular, and seem to have been held 
at the Court House in Market Street near Second. 

Gabriel Thomas states, in 1698, " there is lately built a noble 
Towne House or Guild Hall, also a handsome Market House, and a 
convenient Prison." This would appear to refer to the Court House, 

1 Thomas Makin was One of the early settlers in Philadelphia, and before he be- 
came head master was associated at first with George Keith in what he calls his 
"pedagogie," and subsequently with Francis Daniel Pastorius. He wrote a descrip- 
tion of Pennsylvania in Latin verse in 1729, which, with its translation, covers four- 
teen pages of Proud' s History of Pennsylvania. 



8 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

though Mr. Westcott and other reliable authorities do not believe that 
it was erected for eight or nine years after, or about the date of the 
charter of privileges to Philadelphia, as a city, October 25, 1701. 
This building was appropriated to general city and county purposes, 
including the City Council. 

The General Assembly and the Governor's Council never held their 
sessions herein, as some have imagined. 

Towards the close of the year 1728, a project was seriously enter- 
tained of fixing upon another place than Philadelphia for the sessions 
of the Legislature. The Assembly did actually go -so far as to make 
application to the Governor (Gordon) to convene them elsewhere, as- 
signing as a reason, "the several indecencies lately used towards the 
members while attending the services of the country in Philadelphia, 
by rude and disorderly people unknown to the House." 

The Governor, disinclined to this change, temporized in his reply, 
but designated Chester as, next to Philadelphia, the most convenient 
place for meeting, should the request be persisted in. This, however, 
was not the case. Still the effort thus made no doubt aroused the 
city members and contributed to enforce a petition which was soon 
after — in February of the following year — presented to the Assem- 
bly, praying for a law empowering the city and councils of Philadelphia 
to build a State House in High Street, near the Prison, in connection 
with a market. This petition was laid before the House during an 
animated discussion on the expediency of making an addition to the 
existing paper currency, to which the Governor had seriously objected. 
Legislative tactics were apparently then not unknown, while the gov- 
ernmental machinery, inseparable from colonial dependency, was even 
more cumbersome than at any time subsequent to the Revolution. The 
paper currency bills, three of which had been passed previous to this 
one of 1728, now under consideration, were always fruitful subjects of 
dispute between the Assembly, the Governor, the Proprietary, and the 
" Home Government," the concurrence of all these being needed to 
pass any law. In this instance, the House on 1st January, 1729, re- 
solved upon an issue of £ 50,000 in paper money, and appointed a 
committee to draft a bill accordingly. On the 4th, the result of their 
deliberations was reported, but it was not till the 6th that the bill was 
discussed, and blanks in it rilled. On the 17th it was transcribed, and 
the next day compared by a Committee of the House in order to 
determine its accuracy before its transmission for his sanction to the 
Governor. 

The Governor suggested numerous amendments. These, however, 




feSSfc^:. 



COMMENCEMENT OF STATE HOUSE. 9 

were all disregarded by the Assembly, except in the reduction of the 
amount to be issued to £40,000. This brought upon the House an 
indignant speech, in which the Governor expressed his astonishment 
that not the least alteration had been made in any material point. 
The House replied in a formal address, which ended in a conference 
on the 4th of April at the Governor's house. The amount to be issued 
was then again reduced by another £ 10,000, and on the last day of 
April a fresh bill, pursuant to the alterations, was transcribed and 
delivered in at the table. 

It was at this stage of the bill, on the first of May, 1729, the Journal 
informs us, that upon motion made "the House took into consideration 
the necessity of a House for the Assembly of this Province to meet 
in," and the question being put, it was unanimously resolved, that 
two thousand pounds of the £30,000 then to be emitted in paper cur- 
rency should be appropriated towards building such a House. On the 
same day, however, and apparently without any provision to meet the 
requirement, the original bill was ordered to be compared and sent to 
the Governor for his concurrence ; the latter, however, promptly re- 
turned it on May 6th, with numerous objections, but the House insist- 
ing upon its action, and incorporating a clause for the appropriation 
of £2000 towards the building of a State House, the Governor yielded 
his points, and the bill was at once ordered to be engrossed. 

The original draft of this bill, with its interlineations and amend- 
ments in the handwriting of Andrew Hamilton, has been fortunately 
preserved, and is now deposited in the National Museum, Independ- 
ence Hall. 

The page relating to our subject is herewith presented. (See p. 10.) 

During the discussions this bill engendered between the Governor 
and the Assembly, and in view of what was destined to transpire in 
the very building erected under one of its provisions, it is a little 
amusing to find how the Governor in his message expatiated on the 
deference due to the royal authority, " under which," he says, " we 
have the great happiness to live, and from which we derive all our 
protection. It is our glory as well as our happiness that we are sub- 
jects to the Crown of Britain under which and the Proprietary we 
enjoy our vast privileges." 

This law as finally passed is entitled " An Act for emitting of thirty 
thousand pounds in bills of credit for the better support of government 
and the trade of this Province." Its concluding section is as follows : 
" And forasmuch as a House for the Representatives of the Freemen 
of this Province to meet and sit in General Assembly in the City oi 



10 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 






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SITE AND PLANS FOR STATE HOUSE. 11 

Philadelphia, is very much wanted : Be it therefore enacted by the 
authority aforesaid, that the sum of two thousand pounds of bills of 
credit made current by this act be delivered by the Trustees of the 
Loan Office to Thomas Lawrence, Andrew Hamilton, and John K ears- 
ley, who are hereby appointed 
for building and carrying on the 
same ; who shall give their re- ^pf J/3 
ceipt to the trustees for the said -" 
bills," etc. Passing through 
the usual formalities on the 
eighth, the bill was signed by the Speaker on the tenth of May. 
On the same day the House, as was then the custom, waited in a 
body upon the Gov- 
ernor, that this and 
other bills should be 
passed into law — the 
concurrence of " his 
honour " having been 
graciously accorded. 

Such is the modest 
provision made for the State House of Pennsylvania, now the world 
renowned " Independence Hall." 

Still another formality was required, "the affixing of the Great 
Seal of the Province," and this demanded the presence of a committee 
of the House. Messrs. Thomas Tress and William Monington, were 
assigned to this duty. Even now the law might be disallowed by his 
Majesty's Government, and in anticipation of an adverse action the 
House had appointed another committee, consisting of John Kearsley, 
Andrew Hamilton, and William Webb, to prepare an address to the 
King, and one to the Penns, in favor of the law as passed. 

It was not for many months that his Majesty's royal pleasure in 
favor of its validity was made known. 

A contrariety of opinion among the members of the building com- 
mittee, both as to site and plans, delayed any action for nearly three 
years. While the legislative body had determined upon neither, it 
will be remembered that its action was based upon a petition from 
the citizens of Philadelphia, who had designated " High Street " near 
the Prison (Market Street, near Third), as the locus in quo, and 
wished a " Market " in connection with it. 

Dr. Kearsley evidently favored this location. As an amateur archi- 
tect, too, he had planned and superintended the erection of Christ 




12 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Church, a building which gave universal satisfaction, and had con- 
stituted the Doctor an authority in such matters. He conceived a plan 
for the State House, and submitted it to his colleagues, but so also 
it appears did Mr. Hamilton- That of the latter was preferred and 
adopted by the majority of the committee. They also determined 
upon the site at Chestnut Street, between Fifth and Sixth, in opposi- 
tion to the views of Dr. Kearsley. Thus while the latter has been 
strangely credited with the design and construction of the State House, 
it is fully shown by the records of the Assembly that he interposed 
every obstacle in his power, even after the site had been selected and 
the ground secured, "frequently insisting," complains Mr. Hamilton, 
"that the House of Representatives had never agreed that it should 
be built at that place." 

William Penn, with his accustomed foresight, had reserved for the 
public buildings, city and State, "the Centre Square" at Broad and 
Market streets, but only forty-seven years had then elapsed, and it 
needed nigh unto two centuries to justify his anticipations. 

The lots on Chestnut Street which Messrs. Hamilton and Lawrence 
selected, had been sold to various purchasers ; the former therefore 
authorized William Allen (even then a prominent merchant and sub- 
sequently one of the most distinguished citizens of Philadelphia) to 
buy in his own name, for the use of the Province, the necessary ground. 
On the 15th October, 1730, he made his first purchase of one hundred 
and ninety-eight feet (including the middle) of the present Chestnut 
Street front, and running back half way to Walnut, besides a small lot 
at the corner of Sixth Street, on Chestnut, and another small lot on 
Fifth, these last evidently intended as an entering wedge to the acqui- 
sition of the whole of the Chestnut Street front — a project nearly 
completed by additional purchases made by Mr. Hamilton himself, in 
1732, in the spring of which year ground was actually broken. 

The plan adopted included alone the present main or central build- 
ing (the State House proper), and was designed to accommodate the 
Assembly, the Supreme Court, and the Governor's Council oxv\j. 

It fell to Mr. Speaker Hamilton, personally, to carry out the design 
of the noble building he had planned ; and as usual, in those days as 
in our own, while seeking conscientiously to serve the public without 
fee or reward, he was repaid by malicious insinuations and active 
opposition. 

Inferior mechanics who wanted "jobs," and were rebuffed; office- 
holders who sought to subserve their own selfish ends, regardless of 
public convenience or public interests ; disappointed schemers, and 



PRELIMINARY ARRANGEMENTS. 13 

even well intentioned citizens, enamored of their own notions, con- 
tributed to impede or thwart the work, till at last Mr. Hamilton, pro- 
voked beyond endurance, brought the whole subject before the Legis- 
lature. In the presence of Dr. Kearsley he requested that the House 
would resolve itself into a committee of the whole in order to hear 
and discuss the subject of location, plans, and contracts, etc. This 
was accordingly done, and full opportunity given to Dr. Kearsley, to 
present his own design and all the objections to that of Mr. Hamilton, 
whose plan and elevation of the State House were also submitted to 
the members. By formal resolution the action of Mr. Hamilton, both 
in regard to the site selected and to the manner of conducting the 
building, was approved. 

Mr. Hamilton informed the House that the charge of superintending 
the erection of the building and providing incidental materials and 
workmen had almost entirely been devolved upon himself ; that he 
found from experience that the affair was attended with great difficul- 
ties and with much prejudice to his own private concerns ; and desired 
that the House should appoint some competent person to superintend 
the work, who could devote his attention to the subject, and be in- 
vested with needful authority to enforce his orders. The House, how- 
ever, declined to release Mr. Hamilton. They fully indorsed all the 
arrangements hitherto made by him, with the request that he would 
continue to act with the existing committee, and promised due com- 
pensation. 

Mr. Allen had purchased the lots in his own name, and expended 
his own money in so doing, relying no doubt on his friends, Hamilton 
and Lawrence, for repayment. Accordingly the House on 8th of Aug- 
ust, 1732, took into consideration the expediency of " vesting in trust 
in some body politick and corporate, capable of succession, who should 
be compellable to execute that trust in such manner as may be directed 
by the General Assembly of the Province for the time being." On 
the 11th they passed a resolution, that the committee should pay to 
William Allen the purchase money for the ground he bought for the 
State House, upon the said William Allen making a declaration of 
trust with stipulation of conveyance to such persons as any subsequent 
House of Representatives should see fit to appoint for that service. 

The preliminary arrangements having been thus finally adjusted, 
work was recommenced in earnest. Mr. Hamilton's two colleagues 
seem to have relinquished all supervision, Mr. Lawrence probably from 
confidence in his friend's judgment, and Dr. Kearsley in sullen dis- 
gust. At this early day the Philadelphia mechanics still retained 



14 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

their English pride of " Guilds," and competent workmen could be 
found to supply all the requisites except fancy plaster work. 

No trades-unions then interfered with learning the trade adopted 
by the apprentice ; no cooperative association existed to foist upon an 
abused public inferior work through irresponsible and incompetent 
laborers. 

Skilled masons, skilled carpenters, and skilled plasterers, as the 
work now attests after nearly a century and a half, faithfully per- 
formed the labors assigned them. 

The names of some of them employed at various times have been 
preserved. 

Edmund Woolley, Ebenezer Tomlinson, carpenters and builders ; 
John Harrison, joiner and carver ; Thomas Shoemaker, with whom 
were Robert Hind, and Thomas Peglar ; Joseph Hitchcock ; Thomas 
Boude, bricklayer; Daniel Jones, James Stoops, and Benjamin Fair- 
man, brickmakers ; William Holland, marble mason ; Thomas Kerr, 
plasterer ; Jona. Palmer, Thomas Redman, stone masons and cellar 
diggers ; Brian Wilkinson, wood carver ; Thomas Ellis, glazier ; and 
later still Thomas Godfrey, who afterwards became famous as the 
inventor of the Quadrant. 

The painting was done by Gustavus Hesselius, who subsequently 
lemoved to Maryland, and became well known as a portrait painter. 

During the session of 1735-6, the question was again agitated of 
placing the State House with its croft, toft, and loft in proper legal 
plight. It was determined to vest the whole in Trustees, and William 
Allen was very properly selected by the House, with associates the 
chief Burgesses of Bristol and of Chester. Mr. Allen had now become 
mayor of the city, and for personal reasons as well as from feelings of 
delicacy earnestly asked to be excused, whereupon it was resolved that 
John Kinsey, Joseph Kirkbride, Jr., Caleb Cowpland, and Thomas 
Edwards, should be named as Trustees. 

An act of assembly was passed accordingly, February 21, 1786, re- 
citing the purchases by Andrew Hamilton and William Allen, and 
the fact of the erection of a State House and other buildings, and re- 
quiring a conveyance by these gentlemen to the Trustees named. 

This act contains the proviso so often made merry over, — "It is the 
true intent and meaning of these Presents, that no part of the said 
ground lying to the southward of the State House, as it is now built, 
be converted into or made use of for erecting any sort of Building 
thereupon, but that the said ground shall be enclosed and remain a 
public open Green and Walks forever," — a requirement doubtless 
made originally by Mr. Hamilton. 



FIRST USE OF STATE HOUSE. 15 

Directions had already been given in 1732, that " the ground be- 
longing to the State House may be with the least expense, and with 
all convenient speed levelled and enclosed with a board fence, in order 
that walks may be laid out and trees planted to render the same more 
beautiful and commodious," but while a wall was finally erected as a 
protection no attempts to plant or embellish the grounds seem to have 
been made down to the period of the Revolution. In March, 1733, 
a plan was exhibited to and adopted by the House for the erection of 
two offices adjoining the original edifice to be used as places of deposit 
for the " greater security of the public papers of the province." 

Spurred on by the fact that the Assembly was sitting in cramped 
quarters, — a small tenement on one of the lots purchased for the State 
House Square, — the work was now pushed rapidly forwards, especially 
the (Chamber designed for the Assembly itself. But even before its 
occupancy, the first public use, to which any portion of the building 
was put, was, appropriately enough, for what might be called a raising 
frolic. Here in the second story, in "the long room" and its two ante- 
chambers was held the great banquet described in Franklin's " Penn- 
sylvania Gazette, "under date of September 30, 1736, as follows : — 

" Thursday last William Allen, Esq., Mayor of this city for the 
year past, made a feast for his citizens at the State House, to which all 
the strangers in town of note were also invited. Those who are judges 
of such things say that considering the delicacy of the viands, the 
variety and excellency of the wines, the great number of guests, and 
yet the easiness and order with which the whole was conducted, it 
was the most grand, the most elegant entertainment that has been 
made in these parts of America." 

Thus was inaug- 
urated the Banquet- 

tained till the com- ' 

mencement of the present century, while its reputation seems to have. 
been kept constantly alive, as we shall presently see, by the giving 
therein all ceremonial banquets, whether to celebrate the King's birth- 
day, the arrival of a new Governor or any member of the Proprietary 
family, or of a commander-in-chief of the royal forces. 

Apprehensive of censure on the score of too heavy an expenditure, it 
was determined at first to wainscot the Assembly Room only in part 
and finish it in plaster, but upon consideration this was deemed false 
economy and while still in a rough state with the windows not even 




16 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

fully glazed, it was prepared for the occupancy of the Legislature at 
their October session, 1736. 

The first Assembly using the chamber was composed of the follow- 
ing members : — 

Philadelphia County. — Thomas Leech, John Kinsey, Robert Jones, 
Edward Warner, William Allen, Job Goodsonn, Jonathan Robeson, 
Septimus Robinson. 

Bucks County. — Joseph Kirkbride, Jr., Jeremiah Langhorne, 
Christian Vanhorne, Andrew Hamilton, Lawrence Growdon, William 
Biles, Matthew Hughes, Benjamin Jones. 

Chester County. — Joseph Harvey, Thomas Cummings, John Evans, 
Caleb Cowpland, William Webb, William Moore, Thomas Chandler, 
John Parry. 

Philadelphia City. — kt Burgesses :" John Kearsley, Israel Pember- 
ton. 

The new county of Lancaster was represented by James Hamilton, 
Andrew Galbraith, Thomas Armstrong, and Thomas Edwards. 

Andrew Hamilton was elected Speaker for the seventh time. 

Benjamin Franklin was elected clerk, vice Growdon, then turned 
out ; James Mackey, sergeant at arms ; and Stephen Potts, door- 
keeper of the House. 

The Council was at this time sitting at the house of the President, 
James Logan. After choosing a Speaker (always the first act of the 




session), the whole House waited upon the Governor in person, " to 
present him " for the approbation of the Governor, in a very curious 
formula, — for the Speaker was expected to request the Governor to 
make another choice, he the Speaker elect declaring his want of proper 
qualifications for that office. A departure seems to have been made 
by Andrew Hamilton, in 1738, who on the formal presentation dis- 
claimed in a dignified and becoming manner the holding of such 
opinion of himself and declined to say with his mouth that which was 
not agreeable to the sentiments of his heart, etc. 

Mr. Hamilton's increasing ill health induced him in the following 
year to retire from public employment, though apparently he still re- 
tained some part in the supervision of the building of the State House. 
The active agency of Mr. Hamilton, the credit of which has been so 




The tortrait of Andrew Hamilton. 



ANDREW HAMILTON. 17 

strangely accorded to another, joined to the fidelity with which he dis- 
charged every public duty he assumed, and the fearlessness with which 
he asserted the rights of the citizen, rights that have descended to this 
day, entitle him to something more than a mere passing notice at our 
hands, among a generation which almost ignores his name. 

The paternity as well as the early life of Mr. Hamilton are in- 
volved in mystery ; partially on this account and partially from the 
fact of change of name from Trent to Hamilton, and by the un- 
usually finished education he received professionally, as well as aca- 
demically, an air of romance has been thrown around him. Family 
tradition has been invoked to justify a suggestion that " he probably 
killed a person of importance in a duel, and was compelled to fly from 
his native country," Scotland ; and again, that " political difficulties 
had induced his emigration, and original change of name," while less 
considerate suggestions have been made of a conviction for some crime 
though admitted less than a felony. 

The name originally borne by him, as well as the name for which he 
changed it, would seem to point unmistakably to New Jersey, and to 
Andrew Hamilton, the Governor of that colony, and subsequently 
Governor of Pennsylvania, for his paternity ; such notion obtained at 
one time, and though frowned down would seem to derive corrobora- 
tion from time and circumstances. 

This Governor Andrew Hamilton came from Scotland, and settled 
in New Jersey in 1686. The Governor, though he brought no wife 
with him, and subsequent to his arrival married the daughter of Gov- 
ernor Rudyard, is distinctly understood to have "transferred a family" 
to his new home. Andrew, Jr., was at this time ten years of age. 
We lose sight of him during the whole of Governor Andrew's subse- 
quent married life, but after the latter's death he reappears under his 
true name, dropping that of Trent, possibly — a not uncommon re- 
source in parallel cases — his mother's surname. William Penn, who 
was the warm personal friend of the Governor, early interested him- 
self on behalf of the young man, and though the latter was then resid- 
ing at Chestertown, in Maryland, he was retained in 1712, in a suit by 
Penn against a resident of Delaware, who claimed some antagonistic 
rights under the grant of the Duke of York. At this time no especial 
professional reputation could have prompted such employment. 

A singular corroborative evidence will be detected by those who 
believe in the transmission of characteristic traits or idiosyncrasies, by 
descent, be it legitimate or illegitimate. A comparison of handwriting 
will show a marked resemblance between that of Governor Andrew 



18 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

and this reputed son, and a still stronger resemblance exists between 
that of the son of the latter, James, who was subsequently Governor 
of Pennsylvania, and his supposititious grandfather Governor Andrew. 



(i) 




P 



m 




/W GfrmiSbh 





(1) THE GOVERNOR. (2) THE LAWYER. (3) AM. (4) THE SORS OF THE LAWYER (ARD 
GRANDSONS OF THE OLD GOVERNOR ?) 

The resemblance is almost as marked as between the handwriting of 
Dr. Franklin and his natural son William Franklin, Governor of New 




Jersey. Be the taint what it may, the fault or crime is believed to 
lie with the elder generation and not with " the lawyer." 

Educated to the bar in Maryland, where for a short time he 



ANDREW HAMILTON. 19 

practiced, he was admitted to Gray's Inn, London, and shortly after 
established himself in Philadelphia, became a member of the Gover- 
nor's Council and Attorney-general of the Province, a position he 
retained from 1717 to 1726. He was appointed successively Pro- 
thonotary of the court and. Recorder of the city ; while at the same 
time he was a member of the Assembly from Bucks County. 

Elected Speaker in 1729, he received annually the suffrages of his 
fellow members for the same office for ten consecutive years, — 1733 
alone excepted, — retiring finally from public life in 1739, save only 
from the position of Recorder, then a highly important office, which 
he retained fourteen years, till his death on the 4th of August, 1741. 

" He lived," says Franklin, in announcing his decease, " not without 
enemies, for as he was himself open and honest, he took pains to un- 
mask the hypocrite, and boldly censured the knave, without regard to 
station or profession. Such, therefore, may exult at his death. He 
steadily maintained the cause of liberty ; and the laws made during the 
time he was Speaker of the Assembly, — which was many years, — will 
be a lasting monument of his affection to the people, and of his con- 
cern for the welfare of this province. He was no friend to power, as 
he had observed an ill use had been frequently made of it in the 
colonies, and therefore was seldom upon good terms with the gov- 
ernors. This prejudice, however, did not always determine his conduct 
towards them, for when he saw they meant well he was for supporting 
them honorably, and. was indefatigable in removing the prejudices of 
others. He was long at the top of his profession here, and had he 
been as griping as he was knowing, he might have left a much greater 
fortune to his family than he had done. But he spent much more 
time in hearing and reconciling differences in private (to the loss of 
his fees) than he did in pleading causes at the Bar." 

His professional ability was such as to induce his retention in all 
the important cases of the day in the Province of Pennsylvania, and 
frequently was he applied to for counsel and advice by the governors, 
as well as citizens, of the other colonies. 

It was, however, the famous " Zenger trial case " that earned him 
immortality. The defendant was John Peter Zenger, " a Palatine 
child," who had been apprenticed by the State to William Bradford, to 
learn the trade and mystery of printing, after the removal of the latter 
to New York. Zenger had evidently imbibed from his master, with 
the handicraft itself, the principles which should guide him in its con- 
duct. Bradford, it will be remembered, had abandoned Philadelphia, 
in consequence of interferences on the part of the Governor and Coun- 



20 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 



cil, and of his arrest made on account of his publications, but both 
before the Council and the court he maintained his right to publish 
the truth without sedition, and claimed that in such cases the jury- 
were judges of the law as of the fact. 




In 1733, Zenger set up for himself, and published in that city the 
" New York Weekly Journal," with apparent satisfaction to all con- 
cerned, until at last he undertook to criticize the mismanagement of 
public affairs ; remarking that the people of New York " think as 




matters now stand that their liberties and properties are precarious, 
and that slavery is like to be entailed upon them and their posterity, 
if some things be not amended, and this they collect from many past 
proceedings." 

Again, in the following April, after commenting upon the general 
interests of the country, he concluded an article by observing that as 
to New York, "We see men's deeds destroyed, judges arbitrarily dis- 
placed, new courts erected without consent of the Legislature, by which 
it seems to me trials by jury are taken away when a governor pleases ; 
men of known estates denied their votes contrary to the received prac- 
tice, the best exposition of any law. Who is there in that Province 
that can call anything his own, or enjoy any libert}^ longer than those 
in the administration will eondescend to let them do it ? " etc. 

Over these publications the government was much exercised, and 
after trying in vain to secure the action of the grand jury, finally re- 
quired the Attorney-general of the Province to lodge " an informa- 
tion" against Zenger. The Chief Justice, De Lancey, before whom 



ANDREW HAMILTON. 21 

the case would be tried, was also a member of the Governor's Council, 
and thus participated in the preliminary steps against the intended 
criminal. 

Zenger's original counsel, at the outset, having taken exceptions to 
the competency of the court, were by the latter excluded from practice, 
and the defendant was thus left at the mercy of the royal Justices, 
who thereupon appointed, to take charge of his defense, a gentleman 
who proved himself so obsequious, as to render it likely to result in 
the imprisonment of his client. Under these circumstances, Andrew 
Hamilton undertook the case " without fee or reward, and though 
laboring under the weight of many years and great infirmities of 
body," he entered into it with such ardor as to induce him to ask 
pardon, during the progress of the case, for his zeal on the occasion. 
"Jt is an old and wise caution," said he, "that when our neighbor's 
house is on fire we ought to take care of our own. For though — 
blessed be God — I live in a Government where Liberty is well under- 
stood and freely enjoyed ; yet experience has shown us all (I'm sure 
it has to me) that a bad precedent in one government is soon set up 
for an authority in another, and therefore I cannot but think it mine 
and every honest man's duty that (while we pay all due obedience to 
men in authority) we ought at the same time to be upon our guard 
against power wherever we apprehend that it may affect ourselves or 
our fellow subjects." 

The junior counsel for Zenger, when the case came on to be tried, 
was inclined to let the prosecution prove, as usual, the fact that the de- 
fendant had printed and published the papers, when Mr. Hamilton, 
addressing the court, waived the point, and boldly said : " I cannot 
think it proper for me without doing violence to my own principles, 
to deny the publication of a complaint which I think is the right 
of every free-born subject to make, when the matters so published 
can be supported with truth." After pointing out, in the argument, 
the distinction to be drawn between the sovereign and the mere 
colonial governor, and indignantly repudiating the Star Chamber 
decisions sought to be established as law by the prosecution in an 
American court, he insisted that, both by the terms of the " informa- 
tion " and the legal construction of the crime of libel, falsehood was 
an essential. He maintained the right of his client to give the truth 
in evidence, against the adverse interruptions of the judges and of 
the opposing counsel, and after he was overruled by the court, he 
appealed to the jury as WITNESSES of the truth of the facts he had 
offered, and was denied the liberty to prove, concluding that " you 



22 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

are summoned out of the neighborhood because you are supposed 
to have the best knowledge of the facts that are to be tried. And 
were you to find a verdict against my client you must take upon you 
to say that the papers referred to, and which we acknowledge we 
printed and published, axe false, scandalous, and malicious, but of this 
I can have no apprehension. You are citizens of New York .... the 
facts which we offered to prove were not committed in a corner ; they 

are notoriously known to be true The jury are by law at liberty 

to find both the law and the fact in our case But to con- 
clude ; the question before the court and you, Gentlemen of the Jury, 
is not of small nor private concern ; it is not the case of a poor printer 
nor of New York alone which you are trying. No, it may in its con- 
sequence affect every freeman that lives under a British government 
on the main of America. It is the best cause — it is the cause of 
Liberty, and I make no doubt but your upright conduct this day will 
not onty entitle you to the love and esteem of your fellow-citizens, but 
every man who prefers Freedom to a life of Slavery, will bless and 
honor you, as men who have baffled the attempt of tyranny, and by 
an impartial and uncorrupt verdict, have laid a noble foundation for 
securing to ourselves, our posterity, and our neighbors, that to which 
nature and the laws of our country have given us a right, — the liberty 
both of exposing and opposing arbitrary power (in these parts of the 
world at least), by speaking and writing truth.'" So strong was the 
impression produced by Mr. Hamilton's argument, even upon the court, 
that the Chief Justice in charging the jury restricts his words of in- 
struction, assigning as a reason therefor, " the great pains Mr. Ham- 
ilton has taken to show you how little regard Juries are to pay to the 
opinion of the Judges," etc. 

'H™ 4 lir y promptly brought in a verdict of Not guilty. 

The mayor and city council of New York, in the following Septem- 
ber, passed a vote of thanks to Mr. Hamilton, " for his learned and 
generous defense of the rights of mankind, and the Liberty of the 
Press," — conferring upon him at the same time, "the Freedom of the 
City," — the seal to which was inclosed in a handsome gold box, with 
appropriate inscriptions. 

The ability displayed in the conduct of the case, as well as in the 
argument, has elicited from the Hon. John Cadwalader, than whom no 
man is better able to judge, this comment as to the latter : " It displays 
accuracy of scientific learning, and the result of severe self-discipline as 
a lawyer. The speech is a sufficient biography of him as a student of 



ANDREW HAMILTON. 28 

legal science. His method of referring to authorities tests the depth 
of his research and the clearness of his judgment, not less than the 
copiousness of his intellectual development. Ordinary lawyers work 
from their authorities as their only source of professional knowledge. 
They thus work, as it were, from below upwards ; but great lawyers 
look upon the same precedents from above, downwards, using them as 
the tests, or as examples of rules or principles, deduced from indepen- 
dent and higher sources of thought. Of this class was Mr. Hamilton." 
But the cause which he here pleaded earned for him from Gouver- 
neur Morris, one of the framers of the Constitution of the United 
States, the appellation of "the day-star of the American Revolution." 
He in this case laid down the principles that were engrafted fifty-five 
years afterwards into the fundamental laws of his country, framed 
within the very walls of that Edifice which he was then building better 
than he knew, and which seems to justify this apparent discursion. 
In one of the very chambers of the State House, in September, 1790, 
the point for which Mr. Hamilton originally contended was incor- 
porated into the Constitution of Pennsylvania : — 

"The free communication of thoughts and opinions is one of 
the invaluable rights of man ; and every citizen may freely 
speak, write, and print on any subject, being responsible for the 

ABUSE OF THAT LIBERTY. In PROSECUTIONS FOR THE PUBLICATION OK 

paters investigating the official conduct of officers or men in 
a public capacity, or where the matter published is proper for 
public information, the truth thereof may be given in evidence. 
And in all indictments for libels the jury shall have a right 
to determine the law and the facts under the direction of the 
court as in other cases." 

Andrew Hamilton's portrait is thus entitled to its place a 
dant to that of William Penn, in the " Constitutional Chamber " of 
Independence Hall. 



After the Assembly had taken possession of its unfinished chamber, 
the members complained of the incidental discomforts, and general 
dissatisfaction was expressed that at the end of eight years the other 
portions of the Building were yet unfinished. The dilatoriness of the 
contractors served apparently to exhaust the patience of the superin- 
tendents as well as of the public. Laborers had disappointed ; though 
the carpenter work was finished and sashes made, glass provided, etc., 



24 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

yet the latter could not be used, because the wall in the rear was not 
finished, and " the panes would be broken by the boys," etc. ; " capa- 
ble workmen could not be had to do the plastering," etc. 

In the summer of 1741, the Assembly insisted at least, " that the 
plaistering and glazing should be finished for the next session, even if 
the ceiling and upper work must be delayed till workmen could be 
procured from England." They resolved, " that the whole Building 
with all its parts should be finished without delay, that it may be 
ready for the use intended." 

Still four years more elapsed before the Assembly Room was com- 
pleted. In 1745, the finishing touches were given. Curtains of some 
sort, apparently inexpensive, were ordered for the windows, and put 
up by Plunket Fleeson, the upholsterer of the day, who seems also to 
have covered the chairs. 

A handsome silver inkstand was provided for the Speaker's table 
by Philip Syng, silversmith, who charged therefor ,£25 16s. 1 Large 
maps, one of North America, were ordered to be placed upon the walls; 
these do not seem, however, ever to have been purchased or used. 

Two open stoves were used for heating the chamber, made by Lewis 
Brahl, at a cost of £27 16s. lie?. 

An " echo " in the chamber seems to have given annoyance ; and 
the committee were instructed " to take efficient measures so that the 
members may better hear one another." 

The second room prepared for use was the western or Judicial 
Chamber, on the first floor. In 1743, it was ordered to be finished 
upon a plan then submitted to the Assembly, and corresponding in 
style with the Assembly Room. 

The first Justices who occupied the -bench in that chamber were : — 

John Kinsey, Chief Justice . . 1743 to 1750 

Thomas Graeme, ) A . J T ,. ( 1734 to 1750 
_ _ y Associate Justices •{ „, n „_„, 

William Till, j (1743 to 1750 

And from that time down to the period of the Revolution the succeed- 
ing Chief Justices were : — 

William Allen .... 1751 to 1774 
Benjamin Chew ..... 1774 

1 Ordered, February 12, 1752, That the Superintendent of the State House do 
provide a suitable inkstand of silver for the use of the Speaker's table, and on 
August 22, 1752, Philip Syng was paid his account for a silver inkstand for the use 
of the House, — £25 16.s. 



GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL. 



25 



A ssociate Jus! ices. 
Lawrence Geowdon . . . 1751 to 1764 
Caleb Cowpland .... 1751 to 1758 
William Coleman . . . 1758 to 1766 
Alexander Stedman . . . 1764 to 1768 

John Lawrence 1768 

Thomas Willing 1768 

John Morton 1774 

In the summer of 1747, the Governor's Council became impatient 
in their turn to take possession of the quarters designed for them ; 
this was the Western Chamber in the second story, and they urged 
upon the Speaker that it should be put in order accordingly. October 
of the next year found them holding their sessions in what was there- 
after known as " the Council Chamber.'' 

Mr. Lawrence, one of the joint building trustees, was himself a 
member of the Board at this time. Anthony Palmer, the acting Gov- 
ernor, was its President. Lawrence Growdon, William Logan, Joseph 
Tinner, and Thomas Hopkinson, all prominent men in colonial his- 
tory, were also of the Council. 

The Governors of Pennsylvania thus associated with the Building 
were : — 



James Hamilton . 
Rohert Hunter Morris 
William Denny . 
James Hamilton 
John Penn . 
James Hamilton 
Richard Penn 
John Penn 

The staircase leading to the Council Chamber, and to the other two 
rooms on this floor, the Banqueting Hall and its ante-chamber, was 
completed as early as 1741. The carpenter's bill is still extant, and 
possesses some interest : — 

' Their predecessors were : — 



1748 


1754 


1756 


1759 


1763 


1771 


1771 


1773 



Thomas Wharton. Jr. 
George Bryan 
Joseph Reed 
William Moore 
John Dickinson . 
Benjamin Franklin 
Thomas Mifflin, 1788 
December 



1777 

1778 

1778 

178 

1782 

1785 

1799 1 



William Markham 
William Penn 
Thomas Lloyd 
John Blackwell . 
Thomas Lloyd 
Benjamin Fletcher 
William Markham 
William Penn 
Andrew Hamilton 



1681 
1682 

1G84 
1G88 
1G89 
1693 
1693 
1699 
1701 



Edward Shippen 
John Evans 
Charles Gookin . 
Sir William Keith 
Patrick Gordon . 
James Logan . 
George Thomas . 
Anthony Palmer 



1703 
1704 
1709 
1717 
1726 
1736 
1738 
1747 



26 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

November 4, 1741. 

The Province of Pennsylvania, 

To Edmund Wool ley, Dr. 

For expenses in raising the Tower of the State House, viz. : — 

95 loaves of Bread £0 19 9 

61| lb. Bacon at 7rf. . 1 14 1 

148& lb. Beef • .at 3Jrf. 2 8 1 

Potatoes and Greens 7 1 

soo Limes at 4s. 1 12 

1£ barrel of Beer at 18s - * 7 ° 

441b. Mutton at3 K ° 12 8 

37£lb.Veal at 8^. 11 

30 lb. Venison at 2d. 5 

Turnips , . . 016 

Pepper and Mustard . 015 

2 Jugs and Candles, Pipes and Tobacco ..... 060 
Butter, 9s. 8c?. Turkey, 4s. 4 pair Fowls, 9s. . . .12 8 

\ of a hundred of Flour 3 6 

Two former Hookings at getting on two Floors, and now for 

raising the Tower, Fire Wood, etc 3 

£14 12 8 

On the 27th January, 1750, the Assembly ordered " That the Su- 
perintendents of the State House proceed as soon as conveniently they 
may to carry up a building on the south side of the said house to 
contain the stair-case, with a suitable place thereon for hanging a Bell. 

The " Tower," at this time terminated very nearly with the main 
roof ; a steeple does not seem at first to have been contemplated, but 
now determined upon, a new room was ordered to be added by rais- 
ing the tower one story ; it was designed for the use of the committees 
and " for our books." 

It must be borne in mind that the Assembly of Pennsylvania at this 
time, unlike those to which we have been accustomed ever since the 
adoption of the Constitution of 1790, consisted of only one body. The 
eastern room on the first floor was then sufficient for legislative needs, 
its members numbering thirty. Still a committee room was required. 

A resolution was adopted in 1752, to place at the southeast cor- 
ner of the State House a structure for the purpose, but the absur- 
dity of such a building must have prevented its accomplishment, and 
while it seems that the "new chamber" in the tower was prepared 
by the summer of 1753, it either proved inadequate or possibly too 
difficult of access. At all events one of the rooms in the eastern wing 



THE BELL. 27 

was sometimes used for committee meetings, at least as early as 1761. 
The library collected for the Assembly was placed herein, and Charles 
Norris was upon his petition appointed " keeper." 

Among the presents to the Legislature before the Revolution, and 
doubtless placed in this room, was a " Busto of the proprietor Thomas 
Penn, Esq.," brought over by Captain Sutton, as " a present from Iris 
wife, Lady Juliana Penn, to the people of Pennsylvania, to be lodged " 
says Mrs. Patience Wright, by whom it was executed, " in the public 
library." Mrs. Wright in her letter to Rev. Richard Peters, also says, 
" Lady Juliana told me to inform you it is thought a most excellent 
performance, and that it was admired by the King and Queen, and 
most of the nobility in England. My sister Rachel Wells will inspect 
and repair it on its arrival." 

This bust has eluded so far all inquiries towards its discovery. 
c The desire for procuring bells and building steeples seems to have 
shown itself about the middle of the last century in religious as well 
as in political corporations. In this same year the vestrymen of 
Christ Church opened a subscription for this purpose, a member de- 
claring at the board " that there is a hearty inclination to the thing 
in the inhabitants of this city, not only of our own church, but in 
sundry persons of other religious societies." 

It must not be concluded however, that bells were then to be intro- 
duced for the first time. As early as 1712, two bells, " the little bell," 
and "the great bell," were certainly used by the Christ Church con- 
gregation, whether suspended in a belfry, or " hung in the crotch of a 
tree close by," seems to be undetermined ; unquestionably the latter 
mode was adopted for the government bell, an accompaniment to 
official proclamations in the Province at least as early as 1685. It is 
not improbable that this latter was brought over by William Penn 
himself. The earliest mention of its use is in language so quaint as to 
justify its "counterfeit " presentation. 




28 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 




z3*4-&Q. 



e 







Pursuant to this order the following proclamation was read, here 
given verbatim from the original manuscript used by the Sheriff : — 

Pbnnsilvania 

Philadelphia the 12 th of the 3 ,d Mo 1685. 
We the president & the provincial Counsell accompanied with the represen- 
tatives of the freemen in Assembly & divers magistrates officers & other per- 
sons of note do in duty & in concurrance with our neighbouring provinces sol- 
lemnly publish & declare that -Tames Duke of York & Albany by the decease 
of our late soveraigne Charles the 2 d is now become our lawfull liege lord & 
king James the 2 d of England Scotland France & Ireland & amongst other 
of his dominions in America of this Province of Pennsilvania & its Territorys 
king, to whom we acknowledge faithfull & constant obedience hartily wishing 
him a happy raigrie in health peace & prosperity — 
And so God Save the King 



Tho Holme 
Christo Taylor 
Phinehas Pemberton 
Willm Frampton 
W ra Southbe 



Peter Aldricks 
W ra Darvall 
Luke Watson 
Jon Roades 
W. Greene 



Tuo Lloyd President 

Jon Simpcock 
Jon Cann 
Willm Wood 
Tho Janney 
Jon Barnes 
Ric d Ingelo 

Clark Counsel/. 



THE BELL. 29 

This Province Bell was most likely transferred to the cupola of the 
Court House or " Noble Towne House," upon its erection in 1696-97, 
at Second and High streets. 

A bell seems also to have been placed within the tower temporarily 
upon the first occupation of the State House, which it is believed was 
also imported from England. 

Its successor, owing to its subsequent history, merits a more careful 
investigation at our hands. 

The Provinces not being able it was thought to supply a bell of the 
proportions needed, a letter was addressed by the Superintendents of 
the State House, to the Colonial agent in London, pursuant to a reso- 
lution of the House of October 10, 1751. It is dated November 1, fol- 
lowing, and runs thus : — 

"Respected Friend, Robert Charles, — The Assembly having ordered us (the 
Supt rintendents of the State House) to procure a bell from England, to be 
purchased for their use, we take the liberty to apply ourselves to thee to get 
us a good bell, of about two thousand pounds weight, the cost of which we 
presume may amount to about one hundred pounds sterling, or, perhaps, with 
the charges, something more 

" We hope and rely on thy care and assistance in this affair, and that thou 
wilt procure and forward it by the first good opportunity, as our workmen in- 
form us it will be much less trouble to hang the bell before their scaffolds are 
struck from the building where we intend to place it, which will not be done 
till the end of next summer or beginning of the fall. Let the bell be cast by 
the best workmen, and examined carefully before it is shipped, with the fol- 
lowing words well shaped in large letters round it, viz. : — 

"By order of the Assembly of the Province of Pennsylvania, for the State House in the 
city of Philadelphia, 1752. 
" And underneath , 
"Proclaim Liberty through all the land to all the inhabitants thereof. — Levit. xxv. 10. 

" As we have experienced thy readiness to serve this province on all occa- 
sions, we desire it may be our excuse for this additional trouble from thy as- 
sured friends, 

" Isaac Norms. 

" Thomas Leech. 

"Edward Warner." 

" Let the package for transportation be examined with particular care, and 
the full value insured there." 

The bell duly arrived at the end of August, 1752, in apparent good 
order, and the Superintendents returned to Mr. Charles, "their thanks 
for thy care in procuring us so good a bell." Upon its being tested 



30 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

however, early in September, notwithstanding all the cautionary in- 
structions given, the Superintendents " had the mortification," says 
Mr. Norris, on the 10th March, 1753, to hear " that it was cracked by 
a stroke of the clapper without any other violence, as it was hung up 
to try the sound ; though this was not very agreeable to us, we con- 
cluded to send it back by Captain Budden, 1 but he could not take it 
on board, upon which two ingenious workmen undertook to cast it 
here, and I am just now informed they have this day opened the 
mould and have got a good bell, which, I confess, pleases me very 
much, that we should first venture upon and succeed in the greatest 
bell cast, for aught I know, in English America. The mould was fin- 
ished in a very masterly manner, and the letters, I am told, are better 
than [on] the old one. When we broke up the metal, our judges here 
generally agreed it was too high and brittle, and cast several little bells 
out of it to try the sound and strength, and fixed upon a mixture of an 
ounce and a half of copper to one pound of the old bell, and in this 
proportion we now have it." 

The " ingenious workmen " referred to in the above letter, were 

Pass, from the island of Malta, and Stow, a son of Charles 

Stow, the door-keeper of the Council. 

This American bell was hung up in its place early in 1753, as will 
appear b}^ the following bill : — 

Philadelphia, April 17, 1753. 
The Province, 

To Edmund Wooley, Dr. 

For sundrys advanced for raising the Bell Frame and putting up the Bell. 
A peck Potatoes, 2s. 9d: 14 lbs. Beef, at 4s. 8d ; 4 Gammons, 36 

lb. at 6d.— 18s. . 

Mustard, Pepper, Salt, Butter ...... 

A Cheese, 13 lb. at M. — Cs. ikl ; Beef 30 lb. at 4c/. — 10s. ,■ a 

peck Potatoes, 2s. Id. ........ 

300 Limes, 14s. 3 gallons Rum, of John Jones, 14s. 

36 Loaves of Bread, of Lacey, ye Baker ..... 

Cooking and Wood, 8s. Earthenware and Candles, of Duchee, 

13s. 4c? 

A barrel of Beer, of Anthony Morris ...... 



Errors excepted, Ed. Wooley. 

1 This same mariner also brought over gratuitously the bells for Christ Church, 
which in consequence were always made upon his arrival in port to chime forth their 
grateful greetings. 



£1 6 
2 


5 



19 

1 8 
9 


1 




11 

18 


4 




£5 13 


10 



THE BELL. 31 

Mr. N orris in his letter to Robert Charles, under date of 14th April, 
while admitting that they had " made the mould in a masterly man- 
ner, and run the metal well," complains that after it was hung up in 
its place it was found to contain too much copper, and that Pass & 
Stow " were so teazed with the witticisms of the town " that they 
asked permission to cast it over again. 

Their proposition was acceded to, though Lister (or Sister) the 
original bell founder also offered his services ; and in June, 1753, the 
second essay of a bell by Pass & Stow was placed in position in the 
State House steeple, — duly announced in the papers of the day. 

The " Maryland Gazette. " of Thursday, July 5, 1753, published at 
Annapolis, says : — 

"Philadelphia, June 7th, 1753. Last week was raised and fixed in the 
State House steeple, the new great Bell, cast here by Pass and Stow, weighing 
208© lbs. with this motto, ' Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land, unto all 
the inhabitants thereof. — Lev. xxv. 10.' " 

Pass & Stow were paid in September following XGO 13s. 5,/. 

There seems to have existed a contrariety of opinion as to the ac- 
ceptability of this second bell. 

The English founder was ordered to send over another of his make. 
Mr. Norris, however (who owned he did not like the other), on its 
arrival, admitted that the " difference in comparing them is not very 
great." This resulted, by order of the Assembly on August 13, 1754, 
in the retention of both bells, though as far as can be ascertained our 
American bell continued to be used, without any further effort to 
amend its sound, with experiences and vicissitudes presently to be re- 
counted, for at least threescore and three years. 

Besides the government purposes to which this bell was put, we find 
it was sometimes used to call together for service the various congre- 
gations. Whether for this or other reasons complaint was made by 
petition from " divers inhabitants " living near the State House, set- 
ting forth they were much incommoded and distressed by the too 
frequent ringing of the great bell in the steeple of the State House, 
" the inconvenience of which has often been felt severely when some 
of the Petitioners families have been afflicted with sickness, at which 
times, from its uncommon size and unusual sound, it is extremely dan- 
gerous, and may prove fatal." They go on to protest that it was never 
designed to be rung on any other than public occasions, such as the 
times of the meeting of the honorable Assembly, and of the courts 
of justice, and they beg to be relieved from this " dangerous incon- 



• .ILL. 
venier si - far as to prevent rhe ringing on any but public 

1: was dk March 11, 17o"J, that they would have • ■ 

in the Tower." and 
should have u a suitable dial plate to show the Hours and Minut 
rdered to be made in Philadelphia. • 
N ss 5 in one ol his letters (March 10, 1752 cpect it 

will prove better than I send ns gland, where, 

when once they had it put out of their hands, they have done with it : 
but here the workman would be made very uneasy it he did not 
his at st sk - stint him in the price of his labor." 

» this •-■ tak- 

ing care fc] six; .-.."-" 

The movements I in the mi main 

building, :. and in close proximity to the 

tower : 1 by rods running through pipes) at either 

. dial plate upon which the 
- trad roinntes - v marked. 

. by an orau ise, in bold relief, and 

in imitation of the ordinal g a of the day there was 

I a jamb, • g and. 

Duiheld in January. _ s Stretch in the wa- 

it duty of v s» and regulating - a turn 

succeed ""'. — - "• [K nbouse, 

3 
g 

Lk as s charge of the time piew 

2?ng Philos Society, 

struments 

g 
- I - ar. 

3 

the Mem - gress 

then diss - g which 

were des 3 s 

:'ae inhabit 



, — - 



COLONIAL DISSENSIONS. 88 

others incident bo the proprietary form of government, while still the 
larger portion were such as affected all the colonies o\' America. 

The State House was essentially the place where no1 only all these 
questions were debated in the Assembly itself, but the Council Cham- 
ber, the adjoining "Yard." and even the Banqueting Hall participate 
in the memories of these events. 

Among the causes oi dissension between the Governors and the As- 
sembly were the efforts of the former to obtain supplies for the pro- 
tection of the Provinces against the French and against the Indians. 
The peaceable principles professed by a majority of the Assembly were 
assigned as early as IT to, for not permitting them to join in raising 
men or providing arms and ammunition. " Yet," say bhey, in a com- 
munication to Governor Thomas, "we have ever held it our duty to 
render tribute to Caesar," and hence they notified him o\' a resolution 

foot" appropriating i>4,000 to the King's use, to he expended in the 

purchase of bread, beef, pork. Hour, wheat, or other grain, and to be 
shipped for the King's service, as the Governor shall think most lit." 

The Governor, at first indignant, seems to have received an intima- 
tion subsequently that "other grain" could be construed into gun- 
powder, which Franklin tells us was accordingly bought, and the 
Assembly never objected to it. 

This evasive compliance thus answered its purpose very well, as long 
as active measures were pursued from and upon the soil of other col- 
onies, but " Friends 1 principles " were more thoroughly tested a few 

years thereafter, w hen aggressions took place in Delaware Bay, though 
even then "an association" for defense was formed, and no aggressive 
measures as yet were required from the Assembly, who however, in a 

formal answer to President and Council frankly admitted, in regard to 
the preparations made for defense oi the Province, their difficult] in 

expressing their sentiments. 

"The most oi us," say they to the Governor, "as well as main- 
others within this Province, you know have professed ourselves prin- 
cipled against the bearing o( Arms ; and yet as we enjoy the Liberties 
i^( our own Consciences, we think it becomes us to leave others in the 

free Exercise of theirs. The assistance you have thought tit to give 
the Associators, we make no doubt arose from a Sense of what you 

believed your Duty. And the zeal and Activity mail) of them have 

shewn on the Occasion, we suppose may have arisen from the Love 
they bear to the Country. And as we are willing to make charitable 
Constructions on their Conduct, we hope the like charitable Senti- 
ments will prevail with them concerning us, and others like principled, 



34 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

when we have repeatedly declared we cannot in Conscience join with 
any Preparations of this Kind. 

" As we have the honour of representing the whole Province, in 
which, we know, there are Numbers of People, whose judgments in 
the Point we have mentioned, do not exactly correspond with ours, 
we think it no Inconsistency, notwithstanding any Things we have 
said, to add, that we acknowledge, with Gratitude, the Regard the 
Lords of the Admiralty are pleased to shew for protecting the Trade 
of the Province : And also the kindness shown by our Proprietaries 
in soliciting for it — Nor have we less Grateful Sentiments of the kind- 
ness of our neighboring Government of New York as we believe their 
intentions were good, and it may have quieted the Minds of divers of 
our Inhabitants ; though it is a Favour we could not have asked, being 
intended for such a Mode of defence, in which we do not place our 
Confidence." 

As the French and Indian war came on apace, the frontiers of Penn- 
sylvania were threatened, invaded, and the defenceless inhabitants 
butchered by the Indians. This demanded something more from the 
peaceable principles of the Assembly, and Governor Hamilton " ear- 
nestly entreated them " to enable him " to discharge the indispensable 
duty of every government to protect and take care of its inhabitants." 
This entreaty, though reiterated by Governor Robert Hunter Morris, 
requiring the establishment of a regular militia, met with little effect 
until k 24th July, 1755, when the Governor, having summoned the 
Assembly in special session, communicated "the melancholy accounts 
of the defeat of the forces under the immediate command of General 
Braddock, which," he goes on to say, "you will find is attended with 
very shocking circumstances; the General killed, and most of the offi- 
cers that were in the action are either killed or wounded ; the bulk 
of the men cut off, the whole train of artillery taken. Colonel 
Dunbar is now retreating with the remains of the army to Fort 
Cumberland. 

" This unfortunate and unexpected change in our Affairs will 
deeply affect every one of his Majesty's Colonies, but none of them 
in so sensible a manner as this Province which having no Militia, is 
thereby left exposed to the cruel Incursions of the French, and their 
barbarous Indians, who delight in shedding human Blood, and who 
make no distinction as to age or Sex — as to those that are armed 
against them, or such as they can surprize in their peaceful Habita- 
tions — all are alike the objects of their Cruelty, — slaughtering the 
tender Infant and frighted Mother with equal Joy and Fierceness. 



COLONIAL DISSENSIONS. 35 

To such Enemies, spurred on by the native Cruelty of their Tem- 
pers, encouraged by their late Success, and having now no Army 
to fear, are the Inhabitants of this Province exposed — and by such 
must we now expect to be overrun if. we do not immediately prepare 
for our own Defence ; nor ought we to content ourselves with this, 
but resolve to drive and confine the French to their own just Limits. 

" This, Gentlemen, however gloomy the present Appearances of 
Things may be, is certainly in the power of the British Colonies to 
do ; and this is not only their truest and most lasting Interest but 
their highest Duty — The Eastern Governments have already gone a 
great way towards removing that faithless but active People from 
their Borders ; let us follow the noble Example they have set us, shew 
ourselves worthy of the Name of Englishmen, and, by a vigorous ex- 
ertion of our Strength, dislodge the Enemy from our Frontiers, and 
secure the future Peace and Safety of the Province ; for we may 
assure ourselves, that while they possess the Countries they have un- 
justly seized we shall never truly enjoy either." 

The only response given, even now, was the passage of a bill granting 
,£50,000 to the king's use ; but involving a requirement that the estates 
of the Proprietary should be proportionably taxed. To this the Gover- 
nor objected as not within the bounds of his authority to assent to. 

William Allen, William Plumsted, Joseph Turner, the McCalls, 
and other public spirited citizens, at once came forward to heal the 
breach by subscribing the £500 which it was estimated would be the 
amount of tax to be paid by the Penn family. The names of these 
gentlemen — and most of them are still represented in our midst, — 
besides those named who gave one half of the whole, were: — 

Samuel McCall, John Kearsley, 

John Wilcocks, David Franks, 

Thomas Cadwalader, John Kearsley, Jr., 

Alexander Huston, John Gibson, 

Amos Strettall, John Wallace, 

Joseph Sims, George Okill, 

Samuel Mifflin, Townsend White, 

Joseph Wood, John Bell. 

But this generous offer was unavailing ; the Governor, whose pa- 
tience seems to have been exhausted, sent a message in writing on 
the 21st August, stating that he had on 9th " recommended to you 
to establish a Militia for the safety and defence of the Province, and 
having frequently before recommended the same thing, but received no 



36 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

answer, I then desired you would give me an explicit answer upon 
the subject. I do, therefore, now call upon you, and insist on a plain 
and categorical answer, -whether you will or will not establish a Mili- 
tia, that his Majesty and his Ministers may be informed whether at 
this time of danger the Province of Pennsylvania is to be put into a 
posture of defence or not." 

The Assembly rejoined they had promised to provide for the safety 
and defense of the Province already ; but as the elections would soon 
take place they would adjourn, and leave the question of a Militia to 
the new Legislature. 

But the new Assembly, we find, was taxed by the Governor with 
having, after " a sitting of six days, instead of strengthening my hands, 
and providing for the safety and defence of the people and the province 
in this time of imminent danger, you have sent me a message, wherein 
you talk of regaining the affections of the Indians now employed in 
laying waste the country and butchering the inhabitants, and of in- 
quiring what injustice they have received, and into the causes of their 
falling from their alliance with us, and taking part with the French," 
etc. 

The House had, however, within these six days, passed a law appro- 
priating £60,000 to the King's use, for deficiencies in " purchasing pro- 
visions for the King's forces, erecting and maintaining posts, payment 
of expenses, clearing of roads, maintaining of Indians, and other heavy 
charges for the King's use," though some Friends took care to have 
entered on the journals their names as dissentients, viz. : — 

James Pemberton, William Peters, 

Joseph Trotter, Peter Worrall, 

Joshua Morris, Francis Parvin, 

Thomas Cummings. 

Several of the principal inhabitants of Philadelphia now thought it 
time to lay before the House an energetic " representation." 

" At a Time when a bold and barbarous Enemy has advanced within about 
One Hundred Miles of this Metropolis, carrying Murder and Desolation along 
with them ; and when we see our Country already stained with the Blood of 
many of its Inhabitants, and upwards of a Thousand Families, who very lately 
enjoyed Peace and Comfort in their own Habitations, now dispersed over the 
Province, many of them in the most miserable and starving Condition, exposed 
to all the Hardships and Severity of the Season : — We say, in such a Situa- 
tion, we should think ourselves greatly wanting in Regard for our personal 
Safety, as well as in Compassion for our bleeding and suffering Fellow-Subjects, 



COLONIAL DISSENSIONS. 37 

if we did not thus publicly join our Names to the Number of those who are re- 
questing you to pass a Law, in order to put the Province in a Posture of De- 
fence and put a Stop to those cruel and savage Outrages, which must other- 
wise soon prove our Ruin. 

" We hope we shall always be enabled to preserve that Respect to you, which 
we. would willingly pay to those who are the faithful Representatives of the 
Freemen of this Province. But, on the present Occasion you will forgive us, 
Gentlemen, if we assume Characters something higher than that of humble 
Suitors praying for the Defence of our Lives and Properties, as a matter of 
Grace and Favor on your Side : You will permit us to make a positive and 
immediate Demand of it, as a matter of perfect and unalienable Right on our 
own Parts, both by the Laws of God and Man." 

Within a few days intelligence came that the Indians had fallen 
upon the inhabitants of Tulpehocken, and destroyed them, and reit- 
erated demands were made for a Militia Law. The Assembly, thus 
pressed, was induced to pass a bill, the imbecility of which is suffi- 
ciently obvious from its title : " An Act for the better ordering and 
regulating such as are willing and desirous to be united for military 
purposes." The very preamble of which declared that the majority of 
the Assembly were principled against bearing arms, and that any law 
compelling persons thereto would be in violation " of the fundamentals 
of the Constitution, and be a direct breach of the privileges of the 
People." 

It was approved by the Governor, though pronounced by him im- 
practicable; and was "disallowed," by the King, "as in every respect 
the most improper and inadequate to the service which could have 
been framed and passed, and seems rather calculated to exempt per- 
sons from military service than to encourage and promote them." 

The Governor now boldly charges the Assembly in the framing of 
supply bills, professedly for the King's use, with resorting to " a double 
view, to wit : either wholly to avoid giving money for warlike pur- 
poses, or by means of the country's distress' to arrogate powers which 
Assemblies here never have, and from the nature of our Constitu- 
tion, never ought to be in, possession of." 

The Mayor of the city, with the Aldermen and Common Council, 
now laid before the Assembly an earnest appeal : — 

" In the most solemn manner before God, and in the name of all of 
our fellow-citizens, we call upon you, adjure you, — nay, supplicate 
you, — as you regard the lives of the people whom you represent, to 
give that legal protection to your bleeding country which ought to be 
the chief object of all government at such a perilous juncture as this. 



38 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

and let it be no longer said that, while we are daily hearing so much 
concerning privilege and right, we are in the meantime deprived of 
that most essential right, and great first privilege (which God and 
Nature gave ns), of defending our lives and protecting our families." 

Thus urged, it was attempted in the Assembly to pass a bill for 
regulating such soldiers as are raised, paid, and maintained within 
this Province; and it was negatived 17 to 13. Franklin, Stretch, 
Fox, Kirkbride, and others, voting in the affirmative, while staunch 
James Pemberton, Joseph Trotter, Joshua Morris, Richard Pearne, 
and others, were still true to their principles under this ordeal, — an 
ordeal which was but the precursor of what some of them were, within 
twenty years, to renew even under more trying circumstances. 

Franklin, however, who was one of the Commissioners under the act 
for granting £»><), 000 to the King's use, represented to the Assembly 
that there was an absolute necessity for an immediate law for the better 
regulation of the soldiers; this induced the adoption of a Bill with 
two voices still dissenting — James Pemberton and Peter Worrall. 
These two gentlemen, with four others, finding, as they said, many 
of their constituents "seem of opinion that the present situation 
of public affairs calls upon us for services in a military way, which, 
from a conviction of judgment, after mature deliberation, we cannot 
comply with ; we conclude it most conducive to the peace of our own 
minds, and the reputation of our religious profession, to persist in our 
resolution of resigning our seats." 

Among those now elected was one name destined to become famous 
in the annals of Independence Hall. John Morton was sent as rep- 
resentative of the County of Chester, June 28, 1756. 

Upon the next following election four " Friends " were still re- 
turned ; but say they, promptly, " understanding that the ministry 
have requested the Quakers, who from the first settlement of this 
colony have been the majority of the assemblies of this province, to 
suffer their seats, during the difficult situation of the affairs of the col- 
onies to be filled by members of other denominations, in such manner 
as to prepare without scruple all such laws as may be necessary for 
the defence of the Province, therefore we request to be excused, and 
to be permitted to vacate our seats." Permission was given accord- 
ingly. 

Even now, differences between the Governor and the Assembly pre- 
vented the adoption of a satisfactory militia law, though the require- 
ments of the Province, and its duty as a sister colony in detaching 
troops for general protection, seem to have been unhesitatingly ad- 
mitted by the House. 



UNION OF THE COLONIES. ' 39 

It was at this epoch, and for the purposes of mutual protection 
against the Indians and the French, that the plan of Union of the 
Colonies was first broached 1 within the walls of the State House. 

The suggestion emanated from Governor George Clinton, of New 
York, and was first laid before the House on oth September, 1745, 
by Governor George Thomas in a message warmly approving of a 
union of all the British Northern Colonies, in which Virginia and 
Maryland were to be included. Governor Clinton invited Pennsylva- 
nia to send Commissioners to Albany to treat with other Commis- 
sioners " upon concerting measures for our mutual security, defence, 
and conduct during the present war." 

The Pennsylvania Legislature in its reply to the Governor, prom- 
ised cheerfully to concur, if the scheme were generally acceded to by 
theiother colonies. Governor Thomas reiterated his request on 20th 
May, following, to which the Legislature responded, " it does not 
appear to us that a meeting of Commissioners for New York, Massa- 
chusetts, and Pennsylvania only, would be of any great service ; there- 
fore, as formerly, we think it best to postpone our particular resolu- 
tions in the affair until the determination of the other colonies be 
made known to us." 

The Governor again pressed the point, and desired to be enabled to 
cooperate with the four northern governments, by the appointment of 
Commissioners, expressing the belief thai it was not to lie doubted hut 
that the two southern governments would readily accede to it. 

The former were to meet on the 20th of 'July, 174li ; hut the Assem- 
bly again demurred, assigning as a reason the belief that their coopera- 
tion would not be needed ; l> hesides which," say the)', lw the Governor 
must be sensible that men of our peaceable principles cannot consist- 
ently therewith join in persuading the Indians to engage in the war." 

Thus, for the time being, the project failed; but it was renewed 
again during the first administration of Governor James Hamilton, and 
at the instance of no less a person than the Earl of Holdernesse, and 
the Lords of Trade, who employ the phrase "at the King's command." 
" I have it," says the former, lw particularly in charge from his Majesty 
to acquaint you that it is his Royal will and pleasure that you should 
keep up an exact correspondence with all his Majesty's Governors on 
the Continent, and in ease you shall be informed by any of them of any 

1 The earliest plan or scheme for a union of the colonies in a representative 
body, and for general intercolonial purposes, was suggested by William Penn, as 
early as 1698. 



40 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

hostile attempts, you are immediately to call together the General 
Assembly within your government, and lay before them the necessity 
of a mutual assistance." The Lords of Trade were even more explicit 






in directing the subject to be laid before the Assembly, and to recom- 
mend forthwith a proper provision for appointing Commissioners to 
be joined with those of the other governments, etc. 

Simultaneously with this important scheme for combined action, 
pregnant with future greatness, the name of WASHINGTON was 
first uttered in this Hall. 

Governor Dinwiddie reported, upon February 14th, 1754, the well- 
known mission of Major Washington to the French fort on the Ohio, 
with its results, — the response of Monsieur Legardeur de St. Pierre, 
and the avowal of the commencement of hostilities on the part of 
France. 

The Pennsylvania Assembly complied with the royal instructions, 
so far as to authorize the Governor, if he should think it may be for 
the interest of the Province, to appoint Commissioners, etc. Where- 
upon the Governor appointed, with the sanction of the House, Messrs. 
John Penn and Richard Peters, of the Council, and Messrs. 
Isaac Norris and Benjamin Franklin, of the Assembly. 

The ground now taken, though in this case only applicable to 
Indian affairs, was ever afterwards steadily maintained, that no prop- 
ositions for the Union of the Colonies can effectually answer the good 
purposes or be binding further than they are confirmed by laws en- 
acted under the several governments comprised in that Union. 

The Governor's speech to the Assembly in the Council Chamber, on 
7th August, 1754, — transmitting the plan adopted, at the instance 
of Dr. Franklin, by the Commissioners for this purpose, — closes for 
the present our trace of " the origin of the Union.'''' He said : — 

" After a due and weighty reflection on these several matters, the 



UNION OF THE COLONIES. 43 

Commissioners thought it necessary to consider and draw up a rep- 
resentation of the present state of the colonies. And from thence 
judging that no effectual opposition was like to be made to the de- 
structive measures of the French, but by a UNION of them all for 
their mutual defence, they devised likewise a general plan for that 
purpose to be offered to the consideration of the respective legislatures. 

" And as both these papers appear to me to contain matters of the 
utmost consequence to the welfare of the Colonies in general and to 
have been digested and drawn up with great clearness and strength of 
judgment, I cannot but express my approbation of them and do there- 
fore recommend them to you as well worthy your closest and most 
serious attention." 

The Assembly declined notwithstanding to entertain the plan ; it 
met with no more favor from the other colonies generally nor yet from 
the " Home Government." 

On 15th April, 1756, the Governor announced to the Assembly 
that he had declared war against the Delaware Indians — stating that 
the Commissioners under the ,£60,000 Act had proposed to him to 
offer rewards for taking Indian prisoners and scalps — a proposition 
which we find was subsequently carried into effect and Indian scalps 
were actually paid for by the Government. 

On 3d February, 1757, occurs an entry in the Journal : " Mr. 
Speaker and Mr. Franklin being called upon by the House to declare 
whether they would comply with the request of the House in going 
home to England to solicit a redress of our grievances, Mr. Franklin 
said that he esteemed the nomination by the House to that service 
as an high honor, but that he thought that if the Speaker could be 
prevailed upon to undertake it [the Speaker having practically just 
declined in consequence of ill health], his long experience in our public 
affairs and great knowledge and abilities would render the addition of 
another unnecessary. That he held himself honored in the disposition 
of the House and ' was ready to go whenever they should think fit 
to require his services.' " 

Unanimous thanks given, etc., and Benjamin Franklin was appointed 
Agent of the Province. William Franklin had leave to resign his 
position as clerk to accompany his father. An interesting relic of this 
period is here, presented — the certificate for pay of Dr. Franklin as a 
member of the Assembly, with his endorsed receipt for part on ac- 
count, and the receipt of Deborah Franklin, his wife, for the residue, 
after Franklin had gone to England. 



44 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Considerable alarm was soon afterwards produced by the success 
of the French arms ; their army, estimated at 11,000 Regulars, Cana- 
dians, and Indians, and a large train of artillery, after a successful 
attack upon Fort William Henry, was threatening Albany and even 
New York city. The Governor, addressing himself to the Assembly, 
declared, August IGth, 1757: — 

" It is not my intention to aggravate our present Distress by a painful 
Review of what is past ; but can I, Gentlemen consistent with my duty, for- 
bear to mention that this Province has been the unhappy seat of a cruel War 
for upwards of two Years groaning under the bloody Outrages of a most 
barbarous Enemy, the Troops sent to our protection defeated and destroyed, 
our Borders pillaged and laid waste, great Numbers murdered and carried into 
Captivity, and Eleven Thousand of the Enemy at this instant in the Heart 
of a Neighboring Province, at present carrying all before them ; while we 
amidst this Series of Misfortunes, are neither put into a Sufficient Posture to 
defend ourselves, nor have Power or authority out of the vast number of 
fighting Men this Government contains, to send a single Man of them to the 
relief of our Neighbors, without calling in the ranging parties that are con- 
stantly out and evacuating the few Garrisons we have on our Frontiers now 
more than ever necessary for their Defence. These things Gentlemen are so 
surprizing in their Nature, that they would exceed all Credibility, if the Facts 
were not too Flagrant and too fatally felt. Let me therefore entreat you if 
you make a distinction between Liberty and Slavery, between your inestima- 
ble Privileges as Englishmen, and a miserable Subjection to arbitrary Power, 
to embrace this opportunity, perhaps the last to retrieve as much as possible, 
former Errors and act vigorously, as your All is now at stake." 

The Assembly at once empowered the Governor to march a part 
of the troops of the Province to the assistance of the colony of New 
York, " in immediate danger of being lost to the crown," and they 
authorized the Commissioners to give a bounty to one thousand vol- 
unteers, at the option of the Governor, and to supply them with arms 
and ammunition. They further addressed themselves to comply with 
the requisition for a permanent militia ; but the bill which they 
framed was amended by the Governor in order " to make an equi- 
table and constitutional militia law," while the Assembly, though no 
longer impeded by the presence of the Quakers, rejected the amend- 
ments because they would " oblige the inhabitants to take a test as 
to their religious and conscientious scruples," gave the Governor the 
appointment of the officers without the sanction of the people, and 
besides exempted the proprietary estates. 

On 8th March, 1758, the tones of William Pitt resounded in the 



JOHN DICKINSON APPEARS. 



45 



Assembly room urging the necessity of providing troops for active 
operations against the French, whereupon the Legislature at once 
responded. They appropriated one hundred thousand pounds and 
ordered two thousand seven hundred men to be enlisted for the cam- 
paign — more men, say they, than a full share according to the pro- 
portions required of this Province — thus essentially contributing to 
the capture of Fort Du Quesne and to the subsequent complete de- 
struction of the French power in America. 

The death of George II. produced a ripple of excitement in the 
loyal city of Philadelphia, and was communicated formally to the 
House, January 27, 1761 — the usual " glorious memory " of the de- 
funct sovereign, and the "universal applause " conceded to the live 
one upon his accession, etc., with the appropriate besprinkling of con- 
dolences and congratulations, formed the staple of messages and re- 
sponses. 

The curtain now rises upon the 
last individual monarch of America 
with as much applause and as many 
encores as had ever greeted the 
royal majesty of England — almost 
simultaneously appeared, Septem- 
ber 7, 1762, for the first time in 
the House, the man who was des- 
tined more than any other to guide 
the fortunes of Pennsylvania, and 
incidentally to mould those of Amer- 
ica as an independent sovereign- 
ty. John Dickinson on that day 
" was qualified and took his seat" — 
he had been returned as a member 
on 12th May preceding, at a special 
session of short duration. 

A public meeting was called in 
the State House Yard by the Governor, on 
4th February, 1764, to resist what is popu- 
larly known as "the March of the Paxton 
boys against Philadelphia." 

This threatened " invasion " was occasioned 
by the effort to secure some Indian murderers of frontiersmen as was 
claimed, though it was believed that the inhabitants of Lancaster 
County (whose appetite for blood had been whetted by some murders 




46 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

they had already committed in their own borough) were really desir- 
ous, in an undiscriminating retaliation against the Indians, to sacrifice 
to the Manes of their murdered friends a large body of inoffensive 
savages. These Indians were being christianized by the Moravians 
and they had placed themselves under the protection of the Province. 1 

This meeting duly held at the State House, resulted in the prompt 
organization of a large force of citizens, to assist, in case of need, the 
handful of troops stationed at the barracks, where the Indians, one 
hundred and twenty-seven in number, men, women and children, 
were quartered. Even the Quakers are said to have borne their share 
of these military preparations. The approaching rioters were esti- 
mated at from seven to fifteen hundred, but on sight dwindled down 
to two hundred ; they made a halt upon their arrival oil Sunday 
evening at Germantown ; there they were interviewed and after sat- 
isfying themselves (or prudentially pretending to do so) that the 
murderers whom they sought were not among the friendly Indians 
sheltered at the barracks, in town, they dispersed and returned home 
again. 

A caricature of the day burlesques the march of the City's De- 
fenders up the hill and down again. 

After the accession of John Penn to the government of Penn- 
sylvania, the difficulties between the Proprietary family and the 
Legislature seemed to culminate in the persistent objections made by 
the former to the taxation of their uncultivated lands in the country ; 
it resulted in an earnest application to the King to take the govern- 
ment into his own hands, making equitable compensation to the Pro- 
prietaries. In their petition " to the King's most Excellent Majesty," 
to this end, they ascribe " the great obstructions to your Majesty's 
service and the mischief to the Province during the last two wars " 
entirely to the Proprietary form of government, and instanced the fact 
that the disagreements, thence inevitably resulting, had occasidned 
generally the surrender of the power of government to the crown, 
where the colonies had been settled under this form. 

They instructed their agents to press the application in every way 
consistent with the retention of their original essential rights as 

1 The Governor at the same time communicated the facts to the Assembly and 
earnestly recommended the parage f a Militia law for the purpose not oidy of 
defending the Indians, but supporting the government itself, thus threatened by a 
licentious set of people, " who, have already given abundant proof, that neither 
religion, humanity, or laws, are objects of their consideration or of sufficient might 
to restrain them." 




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TAXES AND TARES. 47 

British subjects, as well as those specifically granted by the charter of 
Charles II. to Penn, and confirmed by the laws of the Province and 
the Royal assent. The propriety of this careful reservation was just 
now beginning to make itself manifest ; its all-absorbing interest 
effectively cured all smaller grievances. 

In the autumn of this year (1764), the great event of the eighteenth 
century commenced to unfold itself. 



Trwy J^wW' &k /fS3. Frwy Ftvrvc mi 17 63. 





The ministerial scheme of filling the shrunken purse of George III. 
by the imposition of taxes in America, fixed by the British Parlia- 
ment and without reference to the Colonial legislatures, now assumed 
definite shape. 

The Colony of Massachusetts took the lead in entering the pro- 
test of the Colonies. As early as June 13th of this year, the 
House of Representatives of that Province instructed its agent, Israel 
Mauduit, to use his endeavors to obtain a repeal of " the Sugar Act," 
and to exert himself to prevent a Stamp Act or any other imposi- 
tions and taxes upon that and the other American Provinces, and 
on behalf of Massachusetts invited the other colonies to join in the 
same measure. The official letter, signed by James Otis, Thomas 
Cushing, Oxenbridgb Thacher, and by Thomas Gray and Ed- 
ward Sheaffe, was laid before the Pennsylvania Assembly on the sec- 
ond day of their session, September 11th, 1764. 

The Massachusetts Bay asks the united assistance of the several 
Colonies against the formidable attacks upon what it conceives to be 
the inseparable rights of British subjects, and desires that the agents 
of the several Colonies may be directed by the Representatives of the 
people on the Continent of North America to unite in the most serious 



48 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 



remonstrance against measures destructive of the Liberty, the Com- 
merce, and Property of the Colonists, and in their tendency pernicious 
to the real interest of Great Britain. 







<^€ 




Benjamin Franklin, the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, was 
promptly instructed to direct the Agent to guard the Colony against 
these and all other impositions while at the same time assuring the 
Home Government that a plan is being formed " to grant the neces- 
sary aids to the Crown and to contribute to the general defence that 
will not destroy or infringe the natural and legal rights of the Colo- 
nies or affect those of the Mother Country." 

"Instructions to Richard Jackson. 
" The Representatives of the Freemen of the Province of Pennsylvania, in 
General Assembly met, having received Information of the Resolutions of the 
September House of Commons respecting the Stamp Duties and other Taxes 
22,1764. proposed to be laid on the British Colonies, do most 'humbly con- 
ceive that the measures proposed as aforesaid if carried into execution, will 
have a Tendency to deprive the good People of this Province of their most 
essential Rights as British Subjects and of the Rights granted to them by 
the Royal Charter of King Charles the Second, and confirmed by Laws of this 
Province, which have received the Royal Approbation. 



PENNSYLVANIA AND RHODE ISLAND PROTEST. 49 

" The House of Assembly therefore most earnestly request you will exert 
your utmost endeavours with the Ministry and Parliament to prevent any 
such impositions and Taxes or any other Impositions or Taxes on the Colon- 
ists from being laid by the Parliament inasmuch as they neither are or can be 
represented, under their present Circumstances in that Legislature : Nor can 
the Parliament, at the great Distance they are from the Colonies, be properly 
informed, so as to enable them to lay such Taxes and Impositions with Justice 
and Equity, the Circumstances of the Colonies being all different one from 
the other." 

Before yet a month had elapsed the brave little colony of Rhode 
Island sends to the Pennsylvania Assembly a communication dated 
October 8th, also calling attention to the anticipated Act of Parlia- 
ment. " The impositions already laid on the trade of these Colonies," 
say they through Stephen Hopkins, " must have very fatal conse- 
quences, but the act in embryo for establishing stamp duties if effected 
will further drain the people and strongly point out their servitude. 
The resolution of the House of Commons that they have a right to tax 
the Colonies if carried into execution will leave us nothing to call our 
own." 

The Rhode Island letter evoked a unanimous resolution from the 
Pennsylvania Assembly to enforce the instructions already given to 
their agents in London to remonstrate against the Stamp Act ami all 
other acts of Parliament by which heavy burdens have been laid on 
the Colonies ; still the response given to Stephen Hopkins was con- 
servative. 

These matters of deep concern induced the House to enforce still 
more strongly their instructions by sending another agent " to join 
with and assist " Mr. Jackson. 

Franklin was designated and was elected notwithstanding a, remon- 
strance from a number of inhabitants of Philadelphia, who objected to 
this selection because " Mr. Franklin has had a principal hand in pro- 
posing and promoting the petitions for a change of Government which 
now appear " say they " contrary to the sentiments of more than three 
fourths of the Province;" it was resolved, u That Benjamin Franklin, 
Esq., be and he is hereby appointed to embark with all convenient 
despatch for Great Britain." 

The murmurs of disapprobation which rolled from Massachusetts 
to the Carolinas and back again, found vent in a masterly protest from 
the pen of Samuel Adams. Deaf to the appeal, Parliament, late in 
March of 1765, passed the celebrated Stamp Act, enforcing the collec- 
tion of "a duty" (evidenced by a stamp) upon every paper used in 
4 



50 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 



judicial proceedings, in commercial transactions, and even in the daily 
amusements of the people, reaching pamphlets, newspapers, almanacs, 
playing cards. The Act was not, however, to 
go into operation till the first of November, 
but tidings of its passage reached America 
towards the middle of April. 

At first the colonists admitted themselves 
almost stupefied by the blow, the tendency of 
which was at once proclaimed to reduce the 
Colonies to slavery, but " the spirit of liberty 
informed the Press, we began to collect our 
scattered thoughts our privileges were set forth 
in a clear and striking light, which the latent 
spark of patriotism enkindled at once, and flew 
like lightning from breast to breast, it flowed 
from every tongue and Pen, and Press, till it 
diffused itself through every part of British 
America, it united us all — we seemed to be 
animated by one spirit and that spirit was 
Liberty." 

In legislative assemblies Patrick Henry opened the ball in his well 
known speech before the House of Burgesses. " Virginia gave the 
signal to the Continent," wrote the British Commander-in-chief, and 
was promptly answered by Massachusetts, which at the instance of 
James Otis demanded a convention or union of all the Colonies that 
greater effect might be given to their resistance. 

Massachusetts unhesitatingly makes a formal appeal to her sister 
Colonies. Her communication received in the recess was promptly 
answered by the Speaker, who laid both letters before the Penn- 
sylvania Assembly upon their re-assembling on 10th September, 1765. 
Here was the first germ — the first practical suggestion for an actual 
union in counsel to secure the preservation of their rights and lib- 
erties, and in the same chamber which ultimately witnessed the fruition 
of " the more perfect union " of the present day. It is entitled to 
be presented in verbis ipsissimis. 




Sir, 



Province of Massachusetts Bay, Boston, June 8, 1765. 
The House of Representatives of this Province, in the present 



Session of the General Court, have unanimously agreed to propose a Meeting, 
as soon as may be, of Committees from the Houses of Representatives, or Bur- 
gesses of the several British Colonies on this Continent, to consult together on 
the present Circumstances of the Colonies, and the Difficulties to which they 



MASSACHUSETTS CALLS FOR A CONGRESS. 51 

are and must be reduced, by the Operation of the Acts of Parliament for 
levying Duties and Taxes on the Colonies, and to consider of a general and 
united, dutiful, loyal, and humble Representation of their Condition to his 
Majesty and the Parliament, and to implore Relief. The House of Repre- 
sentatives of this Province have also voted to propose, that such Meeting be 
at the City of New York, in the Province of New York, on the first Tuesday 
of October next, and have appointed a Committee of three of their members 
to attend that Service, with such as the other Houses of Representatives or 
Burgesses in the several Colonies may think lit to appoint to meet them ; and 
the Committee of the House of Representatives of this Province are directed 
to repair to New York on said first Tuesday of October next, accordingly. 
If, therefore, your Honorable House should agree to this Proposal, it would 
be acceptable, that as early Notice of it as possible might be transmitted to 
the Speaker of the House of Representatives of this Province. 



J.- ' Il/(ttkjrfjc0^ 



To the Speaker of the House of 

Representatives of the Province of Pennsylvania. 

The response was prompt, — 

Philadelphia, June 27, 1765. 
To the Honorable the Speaker of the House of 

Representatives for the Province of Massachusetts Bay. 

Sir, — Your favor of the Eighth Instant coming to Hand in the Recess of 
our Assembly, I thought proper to convene such members thereof as were in 
and near the city, to consider of your Proposal of a Congress at New York, 
in October next, to consist of Committees from the Houses of Representa- 
tives of the Several British Colonies on the Continent and the business to be 
then transacted ; which being unanimously approved by the Gentlemen 
who met, we have agreed to lay the same before our House, at their meeting 
on the Ninth of September Next; and you may be assured I shall not fail 
to transmit you, by the first opportunity afterwards, the Result of their Delib- 
erations thereon. In the mean Time I have the Honor to be with great Re- 
spect 

Sir, your most obedient humble servant, 




Speaker. 

The House, when convened formally, unanimously confirmed the 
Speaker's view and appointed a committee of three, with Mr. Speaker 
Fox, to attend the proposed Congress at New York, — John Dickin- 



52 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

son, George Bryan, and John Morton. The three last mentioned 
were, with Wm. Allen, George Taylor, and a few others, appointed a 
committee to draft instructions. These were cautiously worded; while 
authorized to consult with the other colonies, and to join in petitions 
imploring relief from the late acts of Parliament, the Delegates were 
strictly enjoined to use " the most decent and respectful terms," and 
to make a report of proceedings to the House. 

It was also ordered that the Speaker should communicate their 
official acquiescence to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. 

The Pennsylvania Assembly, in which John Dickinson was the able 
and patriotic leader, while thus careful to approach their sovereign in 
respectful and even humble terms, placed upon their Journals unequiv- 
ocal evidences of their steadfast purpose to claim their rights under 
the British Constitution, nor were these resolutions suppressed, but 
having been passed unanimously, they were ordered to be published in 
the newspapers, German as well as English. 

They pointed out the alacrity and liberality with which the Provin- 
cial Legislature had always met every requisition made by his Maj- 
esty, for carrying on military operations for the defense of America, 
and promised for the future every aid in men or money that might be 
needed for the public services of the British American Colonies for 
their defense or security, but they insisted that the inhabitants of 
Pennsylvania were entitled to every liberty, right, or privilege of sub- 
jects of Great Britain; a the Constitution of Government in this 
Province " say they, " is founded on the natural rights of mankind 
and the noble principles of English Liberty, and hence is, or ought 
to be perfectly free." After specifying the infringements attempted, 
they conclude that they deem it their duty, " thus firmly to assert, 
with modesty and decency, their inherent rights, that their posterity 
may learn and know that it was not with their consent and acquies- 
cence, that any taxes should be levied by any Persons but their own 
Representatives, and they are desirous that these Resolves should re- 
main as a Testimony of the zeal and ardent desire of the present 
House of Assembly to preserve their inestimable rights, which as 
Englishmen they have possessed ever since this Province was settled 
— and to transmit them to their latest Posterity." 

" The Congress of 1765 " had not yet fully assembled at New York, 
when, on Saturday the 5th October, the ship Royal Charlotte, under 
the command of Captain Holland, and bearing the dreaded stamped 
papers for Pennsylvania, Jersey, and Maryland, was reported coming 
up the Delaware, rounding Gloucester Point. She was under convoy 



/ 



RESISTANCE TO THE STAMP ACT. 53 

of the royal man-of-war, the Sardine. Immediately the State House 
Bell, and the bells of Christ Church, were muffled and tolled ; and all 
the ships in port displayed their colors at half mast. 

In the afternoon, a public town meeting of several thousand citizens 
was held at the State House to prevent the landing of the stamps. 
Addresses were delivered by several prominent merchants and law- 
yers, declaring the act unconstitutional and void ; and delegates were 
appointed to wait immediately upon John Hughes, the stamp master, 
— who it was said had been appointed for Pennsylvania at the in- 
stance of his friend Dr. Franklin, — to demand his resignation. Mr. 
Hughes temporized with the Committee, but as he was seriously ill in 
bed the Committee asked indulgence at the hands of the meeting which 
had awaited the reply, and which then adjourned till the following 
Monday. Upon reassembling in the square on the 7th, a letter was read 
from Mr. Hughes, pledging himself to take no action except in con- 
formity with that of the neighboring colonies. Huzzas at first greeted 
this concession, but they were soon changed to hisses upon the claim 
of one of the leaders that Mr. Hughes should have responded by an 
immediate resignation of the office of stamp master, absolutely and 
unequivocally. 1 Still the dissatisfaction took no form of violence, 
though it resulted in the transfer of all the stamps to the royal ship 
without any attempt to land them. 

The circumstances attending this practical defeat of the Act, seem 
fully to justify the self congratulations of the newspapers of the day, 
on the public spirit displayed, as well as the moderation with which 
the measures were enforced. 

But the Merchants of Philadelphia, all honor to their memory, saw 
that this was not enough. The Act must be repealed, and until its 
repeal, measures should be devised to frustrate its future enforcement. 
It was determined, by striking directly at their commercial interests, 
to secure the cooperative influence of their friends and correspondents 

1 Thomas Bradford, the son of William, who was of the committee to wait 
on Mr. Hughes, subsequently earned the written demand for his resignation, 
and has left on record in his journal that Hughes endeavored to avoid the, resigna- 
tion of his ofliee, alleging that he only knew of it by common report; " hut," saj s .Mr. 
Bradford, " being at the post-office, to which I had free admission, I saw a large 
letter bearing the English stamp office seal, directed to Mr. Hughes. This I imme- 
diately communicated to two or three of the Committee of Safety, who sat down and 
wrote a note to Mr. Hughes, with which I awaited upon him. He equivocated, and 
said he did not know he was appointed. I told him I had seen the package con- 
taining his commission, and that he had received it that day. This he could not 
deny, and made many trials to put me off. I compelled him to call his son and 
draw up his resignation, which satisfied the public." 



54 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

among the British merchants. Thomas Willing, Samuel Mifflin, 
Thomas Montgomery, Samuel Howell, Samuel Wharton, John Rhea, 
William Fisher, Joshua Fisher, Peter Chevalier, Benjamin Fuller, and 
Abel James were selected from among their number as a Committee. 
Resolutions were drawn up by which they pledged their honors to each 
other to require all new orders given for goods or merchandise in 
Great Britain not to be shipped, to countermand all former orders, and 
not even to receive goods for sale on commission, until and unless the 
Stamp Act should be repealed. 

These resolutions bear date October 25, 1765, and within a fortnight 
were signed by three hundred and seventy-five of the most prominent 
merchants and citizens of Philadelphia. 1 This, " the first Pledge of 
Honor" in the record of our Independence, may be justly regarded as 
the forerunner, if not the actual prototype, of that national interchange 
of " lives, fortunes, and sacred honors " on the 4th of July, 1776, that 
has rendered its " Signers " famous. 

The Shopkeepers of the time also appointed a Committee, and en- 
tered into an agreement not to buy British goods till the Stamp Act 
should be repealed. Their committee consisted of John Ord, Francis 
Wade, Joseph Deane, David Deshler, George Bartram, Andrew Doz, 
George Schlosser, James Hunter, Thomas Paschall, Thomas West, and 
Valentine Charles. 

Similar action was taken in New York, 2 on 81st day of October, by 

1 The original document had been carefully preserved in the family of William 
Bradford, the publisher of The Pennsylcania Journal. 

Thomas Bradford, then an apprentice to his father, and still a mere youth, states in 
his MS. journal that he was sent to procure many of the signatures, and that be had 
always treasured the document as the first public act of resistance to the oppressions 
of the British Crown. He confided it to his grandson, Col. William Bradford, some 
fifty years since, by whom it has been very properly deposited in the archives of the 
Pennsylvania Historical Society. An authentic facsimile has been accorded a 
prominent place in the National Museum. 

2 After a very able summary of the official proceedings of the Congress, and of 
the various colonial bodies, Mr. Bancroft proceeds to say: " Something more was 
needed to incline England to relent, and the merchants of New York on the last 
day of October, coming together unanimously bound themselves to send no new 
orders for goods or merchandise, to countermand all former orders, and not even 
to receive goods on commission unless the Stamp Act was repealed." A further 
eulogy on the city of New York as "the driver home of navigation, in renouncing 
all commerce, who, having no manufactures, yet gave up every comfort from abroad 
rather than continue trade at the peril of freedom; and who, assuming the post of 
greatest danger, sent expresses to invite the people of the neighboring government 
to join in the league, justly confident they would follow the example of New York." 
But see page 18G, note. 



♦r* 



o< 



H 



89 : 



tft 1 



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K 



5-2 












Ml © 

*2 m 

ri S - s 
8, 1'i5 









n ^w i 1 

,* Q 



2 o 



J 1 ^^i?^:i^n:^ 



-f 



X 



4^1: Htti^ >;*t*u Svmi 






^ ; 



5^ ! 






"5h"U^ 



! 5 V^ 



5 ^ 



v 



iMiUh 



K 



^N 






-^v^ 



\ 5 1 . 

■J *v^ 



S 






Kl 










xH )\ 



RESISTANCE TO THE STAMP ACT. 55 

the Merchants, as well as by the Shopkeepers ; and by those of Boston 
on 3d of December following. 

It is deeply to be regretted that the original New York and Boston 
agreements cannot be found. 

Every act requiring a stamp under the law was anticipated when 
feasible, and where not, it was determined to ignore the law alto- 
gether. We find even marriages consummated earlier than the day 
originally fixed, to avoid using stamps for licenses, since dispensing 
with these might involve very serious consequences legally. As the 
dreaded November 1st approached, no effort was left untried to render 
it a day of sadness and of gloom. 

On the 31st day of October, the newspapers appeared in mourning 
for the death of Liberty, and declared an intention to suspend publi- 
cation from " the fatal to-morrow, till means can be found to elude 
the chains forged for us." * 

The bells were rung muffled and every indication of grief for a 
national calamity adopted that ingenuity could invent. Still no hesi- 
tation appears at resorting to every means to make the law a prac- 
tical nullity. While a large proportion determined and agreed among 
themselves to proceed in their usual avocations, regardless of stamps, 
it was rendered impossible to procure the latter, and no official recog- 
nition of the detested stamp was even allowed. The only stamped 
papers discovered in use by any vessel trading at Philadelphia, were 
intercepted and publicly burnt at the Coffee House. 2 The Stamp Act 
everywhere throughout the country became a dead letter, the stamp 
masters having resigned either voluntarily or by compulsion, and no 
stamps seem ever to have been officially distributed in any one of the 
thirteen colonies. 

Four colonies were not represented at the Congress in New York : 
New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia, while the 
representatives of Connecticut, New York, and North Carolina did 
not feel themselves authorized to sign the addresses to the King and 
to the two Houses of Parliament. These state papers succintly set 
forth all the grievances of the colonies under fourteen heads, and were 
signed by the Delegates from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jer- 
sey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. On the 7th January, 
1766, they were laid before the Pennsylvania Assembly, which after 
passing a vote of thanks to their delegates, ordered the transmission 
of the addresses to England. 

1 See pages 56, 57, and (30. 

2 See page 50 for the only .specimen extant rescued from the flames, from Du 
Simitiere's collection in the Philadelphia library. 



5Q 



111 STORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 




Tharlllay, CWoJa-ji. 171%, THE NUMB, j 195. 

PENNSYLVANIA JOURNAL; 

AND 

WEEKLY ADVERTISER. 



EXPIRING: In Hopes of a Refurreaion to Life again. 



Q 



M forty to be .obliged 
to acquaint my Read. 
WMhatisThcSTAMV. 
Act, isreirW M be ob 
igatory upon ut aftci 
the hirftef N'vtmhtr en 
f«ing, (thtfyto/Tftur 
ate) ba PubiiOietxi this Paper unable u 
beat'trie Buribtm, has thought it expedient 
to stop awhile, in order toijclibente, whr. 
Methsds can be found to dude the 

■ciiot Ufc. 



Chains forge. 



and rC-tyc the i 



^7- 



ftie jiift. Rrprefentations now made againft 
that; Aft. may be etTe&cd. Mean while, 

ft «irneftly Requeft every Individual 
df mr SubXcriben, many of wSooi have) 
iKpisi^bihijiiUiaaii. ihafjdtiey jmuW 

diao-ry Difcharge thcli reipeft!«e Ar- 
that I may be able, not only ic 
aVpport myself duflng the Interval, but 
be better prepared to 

aper, whenever an opening for that 
r*uxpofe apptars, which 1 hope will bi 
(bon. WIIUAM BRADFORD 



0«,/Hrt*.' ifcLaw*. It, Highl., 
Fro. ore /* «,'. fc>r>.»W.«V'r</«<»''>. 

mr draiLi lyrical h ill *<l<*™- AqvlWi Ca+o. 

f „o.-l- X lBERTYiaMre crfrlMJtaraiert lllcrkivgt, 

; which htrniin rwmjptan jarJaibiy enjoy, 

X When we are depnvrd of Ibij earthly 

Hi. . . ,_*. .bo are torn for thr-mulia** tupport of 
Te*.-K-KT wb o,|,er L Arnold prtlerr,. feady .„. 
reAoxul 10 the \Vtlfarl and lurppincu of rti.r ration 
Wft'Vhoarl they «r« united, thee tke.r mutual an.ance 
e,f fJejlOSnp miiht,o« fincrrr end permanent. When 
KTrWorill ftMratecrby the UrgJ eneroathmem, on 
»Llcb i. the. Soul erf Cmmrri., and the 
SOMWd'lXsilJUtnefate. •"'• W 1 '"" 1 ' ':'"""»■ 
•faith in time irm ,n.eterate, aod finally rrcoila upon 
:-..■!■: *^.o bare Keen rtverrnraWof in unhappy .m!..lut ..n 
thw Liltrtj of iht fnfi ka« very iualSy been erleeroed one 
JMk man, Kill in oftt.e Lite.lyol (he fWle. While 
iR'n iluiaiiualned, the tlrfl torpsto Oppta-llion are ile- 
t«a,d. mid the Atteotkm erf rbi People Ulonahly awak- 

cned. Wii-n llii, i> lUcpKl.-J. fie Su'pkioi, of llie 



People, auid thei 






•naulmc the latter uuvoxUbtr. So 
roh-frt. Power, tlurtht f-rtbefl ap- 
refolutely oppoin.. °* nporosfty pun- 
tl'i. thfl til Freedom, Property, iiul 
iivtf,, that tlic nwft pUuf.ble.Alicfl.pMlo'curtnil b 
r. the (m*\Uit D^gre*. hive *!*»)• been inoft Hre- 
n%Biulv oi'Pv>frd by rt>« «in«ioM», frt* jiar) onbi .fled Pa- 

:nr." J, h .he PritiMge of BmOnt IO (peak Trulll 

itJi-e'lTrrtr'iV -i. , '^ The want 

iiiii Ti.^i'ii; to th'ti liv pi"Jw'' »etM'' it [■.'"v i "i". "" I 
" ft,f,.l.]eC.i.;t.t«^ „b.lii(.«iinhil._.r 1 ,o, ! ..,rf 



>«W»»rf^Kd«tW*»<fti«*'tum(Uji^=* of tbc rental 



And in ill politici! Difordrn f»« more eontenieJ »e an 

he \»otfe«rewt for theno. H;i • *etf h»ppf Gnum 
itanc* attftwlMig pablic V.rtim*nd public Spine, lh«< 

be toore it u ^ifttd, ibt n,v(T illuftrioui it •JvvJ.y* Bp 
■xiii. 'I*j F»Jftood formrd afftinft 11 can profpw, fcr it 

1* twnfr Ottcft* and cinfuiM thBdnrkeJt and moft ititete 
r*x*Ci\«mmy. But alilrougfcv-i.gblic Virtue ci.mot b< 
thl Iniulgenct oilbe meft t»mliruirr«i Free 
deJTn 'of feealung or wrlring, })i Oppreffii.ti and Tyraii- 
i*j' -af it cwrivet tdl it» Ittlucnc^from mS«.TCvy, may bi 
rtrtrcatiy benefited by tin Rfffrie. -For t^t ppbm t ir 
OMMtiM f*itHeA«a to t^» inrttubl* Dwnandi of Po«ci 
and ArtricT, the Orll Airempii, to iufpi™ Pe*pte mih i 

■vlir^figi,. 
„.«n rocterwal .nd «nifer& 
omiV P«>P*. w^en »hey-an 



.itfc ^cbrlftx-i 
Opoedrdv 



#(*.«..'<■» J aSy Wivtefctl Part, luct. at ibe Li 
>Hniy of the Pied wKkjilbietlh/^s. 

Horn- ib>rlabt« a tM fjijv-j-nurt l of Liberty I But ho* 
eir4fcW«*r« tho»«rtao*!J»fTlii>d«! Tli th.r. tons fig 

«T<«Uj*rily>eIc in fortu^rTitow* *Ht n<W eonde(cet.d 
rn kubBiilfion to new and unwamritcbt* ictfriflioni. 



. D.y, 



«4th a whole Clciniey io rVinda^e. 
loyal SobieAt, and free b 

t fuiure Porteiir, may reap rhe Bcnefti . 
id* which were the inttruineota of pro- 



Ga*«, -J.fi i%. lette.1 hrwijhiby tie lafl poj. fton, 
ibraJwtVy, I be report Ixfoee Ipread, that the Alee 
»e. ha.e kdled Ihc^ Dey, and ,lecl»r«l .., ^aJNl'ajl 
e Eoropeu pote,™ ucwpt tnataul awl /raace, prote. 



and Cturle. Canh, H,™,' 
eivc4 tbathanru erf thu ' 



" la eny fall j 
Jute Madure. ' 



(Kjm by the 
. W.RlchewJ 

billeord"^ 



. .bJi. fin*,, 
t«-?, 7*~*rr «. tits- 

' that we id O !,» 



S«t!ft.bjreal*o 






Indopeavdoncy erf eke I 





now 1 rueerly on 

an poilefTed of. ¥00 tarmialy bave heard belotcof Ihc 
battle Major Monro earned at ItengaJ over 
1 oue of the RioCrtormrdablr pewwraof Indi 
lequjnee of Ibi. battle civei the roegpaor 
id uf IVadt l« tf*-jp>taeei pure ed> rb* Ivfav 

eiriadominionai s-kJ, wfttioof euaj^anrao, the Eatf. 

ciriiaccmpany atpiefent rtay be brouahrtn compatri 

ret Catijta,«a.not(.'nmcli 



r,: 



ie. of} refpefled a. 



ightett Crown of PralTc, 
i,Coon.ry'.We«Uu, 



1 hat Glory then, tl 
Whieh eeery Lover 
And every Patron onvLn.kuid delerve, 1 

And fca.t oekfnd » Honour that will I all' 
WuU Prad. ammonal B the Bad of Time. 



K. 71..' 



• ••••HE 

• « <■" 

a> T • enpRed the MrHgreyralron ellabl 

T inlpeSinj t»K> the Sipplall of proeiuonl 

• •••• f"'<b»tW, '»'«"-«« 1-rSbS -"«. 

••••• t. Rrtvlnt «, walk fcnr:lly. 

SI Jnv,,, /.e«y 17- The (in. ha. beeoiileaierl to 
ippolnt ibe mil honooraNe the Ma/^Uil ofRoekmf . 

y of York, and of the chy of York, and county of ike 

MR watnarl .< ibelaidcownly of Vork .and of the city of 
fork, ami count, of the fame city, and -Airjly, oeher- 
rlle Aynrlry, of York. 

The king ha, been ptewfed to appoint :hc rifut hem. 
Villum Eirlof Paiimontli, SoUm Jeoym. iJward E. 
int. John York, Cleorue Kice,*john Roberta, Jaiemi- 



1 majefty'a iilantation; ir. 
f he Kiog rra, been pleal 

'|ewr'» »>vy- 

n jmtti, -*»./ .7. : 

in.jelly-, , 



USronr^fa'rercdlu 



pwited term,, wtdutlt and/aurntrtneuibi 

rr pno id all Hat rajolBioeirra ti»t fur„. 

iGafal. 

lord* of trade and pUnnrlnna. wjl h.lj , 

1Kb) ikxi, lor the aVU ttatra,. at the CoiV 

obtaiaod toy fbrmcrjrranta andrr 



reoraequitable form of Ifrrylnj hit majrttya reavroue, in 
' TkwV»iU fro™°Ci'be»ller, that *.r,,H*, rtScrr, m 
teavnavaareciie-agiagborh there and at Minorca by Jor,iral 
ajjentj, to (eive on board hi» Saromian majetiy a Ihrjri of 

afajeyf.o. Theri^l honourable the Sart Onrnwat- 
lii, lieutenant colonel lolhe la regiment of foot, k ar> 
no'mted one of I.11 maiefty aaadi de cramp, ivrtfa the rani 

■WK are hrformeil, rlut a geruUman lately vtiy prapM. 
liriathn counuy, ia looa Co retde at. i^uUrtnr.-erJ 
iwruclelid. .here be irruada |«rb,ilhu>j InaLkd.! Wf, 
Churtbilll poema, with explanatory notea , tjad w*,iae 
like. lie Informed, thai be b>, an intcnrlon. of (rvhiiin 
,..(;, at the lime flace, « hifaor-y «f £n£|jud wrota by 

Sandy Bay, ctt them 

l.y the teanie.. and troop, cmdof Admiral Keppd and 
GenenlUodgfon. 

A^. ,aa . VVe hear lord Vif,ouo.l Sperirair y lorlly to be 

/.!! theughn of any farther change* are faid la he en- 






icotaectotbb care and 

"'aoodayfomedifpan-hnlaij J 

ria'ol ul"T,!!"XtaaXvrO< 
ha lub|ra In, not yrtmnlpiml 



«TfR!? 




NEWSPAPERS TN MOURNING. 



57 



Third and Last SUPPLEMENT 

TO THE 

Maryland GAZETTE, of the Tenth Intent 

annajioliff, Otlober 31, 1765. 



READER, 



• •••Y minsol f J»te - 

t c f All if Parlhtmfrit, a Stoppage, it 

:§ J>ut to (bjP^Mi^y aifGa- 
• •<» zetttrs br Papers of MSI 
jrc-nce, and Advcfttlers, afar this Dare; ex 
cept on Arch intolerable arid Wfthefilbm' 
.Terms as tmnn.m (rtftnt Ife aalmhtied wirl 
here, of courfe Thia muft now-Celfe arid 
.Determine.. TrR Prl 



• hereof 1 
■1 

tncouragemeftT, arid hopes he has in fon 
Degree contributed to their Entertllnmei 
ancf Amufcmeot, which He has always er 
tfCTTmir'd, and^oura fHH tbhtinue fb » d< 
but for the ReVoos well knowfi. If the 
Stamp-Atf fllduld be Repealed, br (ho Ope 
^<tion o/.it-Sulpendra, he pnkedci u> reyivi 
the AURrU(ilD GAZETTE, and again 
Publish, ip ,tho fame Manner, (or the fame 
Price, and with the fame Impartiality and 
freedom, as heretolore, provided there (ball 
appear a foficient Number of Encouragers 
tbt tha, carrying on * Work fe Neceffarf, 
•ntl tsf foe-h general Utillrj. AH thofe wh< 
flull tie Ittclinable b> girt" a helping Hind 
-Hereto foe, Hw Tero3 ONLY rbaatkr 
r ' idedj are " 

WePJaces V 
5 be Lode a, , 
Office : Amj' a. ftoh ai pcujibie, it «,ll 
Revlv'd, and a Nrw, Lettff of • proper Sa 
provider! , for. the Pwjpofo- None att dc-| 
diced !0 SuWetibea except f'-ch as ittout t 
Pay reguhu-ty. And 'all thole who are i 
Aneari, elrbw to Myfcif mi Mr. few, t 
t only, are eamtftry n 
lent: /cr«a» 

JOlf/M GREEr 
cV. H. • Single rtdveTtiternents, or an 
Kjnd of PRINTING, the GA2£TT 
*>nly excepted, 18 carried ou a* usual. 



LOUDON, /fcj^ 8. 

AOl.nistaa of DWnflloo. at the 
hlsd rjf. ,b» Ttswr, reroark.tfctbr bb 
Strength aod Athletic tSaenrrtotioo, bt, bud & 
Wage* of 1000 Cainou ih« h. throws a Gume 
50 Pound, vV«Jg*t 50 Yards.' Great Bets ara de- 



an-reel lo^h; ft- Article] ; and 



^♦111 ba •qoalljf comenuqt 'or tbof. who bane 
a Goods n Hand, ast .hat q.iick ''■'«'. "rod 
reaJt Money, •ill. indaee'tbeV and auefbiSr. 

p lncreaje their vlH.pence. and bn'nj'tbei^Gobdi 

On Taefd.,, lait arrive* "^a JTbop Williim, 
Captain Jtlvers, lb so Usrl Tioot Pinfacola 1 br 
•yhontwe laati. Mr?tM Sad of T'anfport.; will, 



1 that' Smnun. wh» are 



rroops (lo/rlfer. thole .00 that (Stat too, 
oing Home) yvero, arrived '^rrs. ami thi 
amor^ii them. 



goiog Home) y/c 

rwejve dvrng of a iisy amonglf'whicb was tbai 
gallant and wotlhy Officer flriaaiiier General 
BOUQUET, »»ole em.nroiJsatricea, and 7mi 



able LtarrfUr, ^..pnp.! .he I 

" Aequarprafa£e.:~-He arrry^t tbc aja ^ t 

" ' 1' Day of««pt<mt>er. Ont 

, n xp aecojnpspied tbrm, I 



iaoicara 1 
srere.dVad, a 



PHILADELPHIA, OS&r :,. 

*»rrJ5 J a Ul/k fob B„JUl, A.^/1;. 

- Tna aaadiaa SMaallas^f lis^ColoaM, alariaa 

rerr Penan sidso bai tihj Connect-too with then, 1 

•ad. |f oar rrf* Mmrflrr <M got rrpeal the M 

aide »J- li* old On*, w eSall all be island 

The AvaameTof Trade arc all Ibot ap— .vV'e bare; 

no Fenttajneo, -'add arc ai our Wiu End Kr 

Wan* 0/ Money n> fttfj Our £aa.agtmco> a witn 

rfadafman — How itia will end. rune only 



ANNAPOLIS, 0/7.«r.il.a- 

This Day the General A«""nh1j of tbi» 

Province is to meet here , the Honfi^^peaVer, 

and a Nurnber. of the Gentlemen of Both' 

Houfes, being already in, Town.. 

On Sunday laft, being a very wulctf Day, 
a Schooner loaded with a light Cargo, by- 
carrying too much Sail ins ovetfct Heal thf 
Mouth of Petatfx, and oie Man Driwtied. 
She aftexwarrh drosc ifhore at the loweTfittd 
oiXm-lfini.. | 

Friday la* D'ed in Z%vir>?«rto'untyf thfe 
Rev>. Mr. Tbmm Airy, Reaor'of a PariA 



>m Antjgba, tha- a Snip 

r l-a-niict, btll pat ia ft t 
Merchant, of Anbaui, I 
loos, fald to ho the 



Goods fori 
over three I 

with Impuottr. the;- might rtb and 



DiSribotoi 
>d of Jamaica, *c mho t 
(y to g,i m cWSprx. at 



, Wt httr frt>tn,6'l<f-Jorfe7 
iatPrcrtace, It ' 



Lb. 4C U.Orrid.bTl 

» cott jol. had tbey l 

mple. wonbf tat Lmftauoo of 

1 who l.v.,,b ibe toorxry. Of 



I VellUto 

tr.Pa.sa, 
rare as mocb 



WtdVyit ifipcaSSi, 
excilfc the Chniffioli. 
ft the lit Page of bft Weet'i Paper, tin 

middle.Colamn, In a Ri-cital ofa' PahiraiJh 
Of the Chatter, t&rt la D.nBl*,, loiead. eW 



■■''-> 



Vamr ibai be and kis Dcarwoaa «n»o 
Catr. Aecb of '" - 
ai Lambeth r « 

TkrtVttac 



Water rat 

ald> 
BrSJge, 
rt of and, «Mt 

f* eff, joospcxl hn 
ttVo, letted bias b< 



the Nape of the 
ttold acJ ba ksd b> jc.ee Uadao hras a( 1 
Ir.dga Foot oa the Sort, Side, to the t r4a< I 
•iroo. of the Spectators A Gentktrun pref 
OrTartiLr; Guitseas lor the D6», wnicll ware lifof 
f) E VT-Y O R Jf7, 0*«,„- 1 7 , 
We heai^ that a DcGgn of eSal iOiias^ ip e 
Cur a Idlrkn, to coraasotce on Wadra-fday 
l-.'ln" 



W» bava tboPleasbie of tnfohnittg our Re 
cbanke hnnoreaiK Ainlnei: af the GBNERAL 
CONGRHSi aa New York It fn great Forward 
acta, asul; Itia thooglic, will be norOredthja Week 
in the craoaa.nrt of which, »» aid atnrred, .her, 
hat been toe moft perseel Harmony nod Unanimity 



BblB lerwd bis Majesty ,n rbe 
great Difiinfllon He wa, pnv 
nfchso! Merrt. MM only oftcarled, 



•II who knew h.m , hn fooeilor JurWment 
.d KnowledM of Military M.trer, i UTi ex. 
fienced Abilirles, known Homanity, remark 
•In PoJuewrjp, and *o»ftant Aiteouon, to tbt 
tf.c fttdtiTs of hi. tfajVfrfi Sbblecti, rtib 
red bir^ao Hououa to his Ccasntry-, and 1 



She fpoke the Bng Ssllf, Captain; aVribV i 
•ftamffat, -/rom. Snp-Turi .for Moliira r »ia 
*itv'i < 2°2e'. Oo« 43 Dayv AU."xll.,a • 
Mr. Gheen, 
•• Year but PyrtWrt .nrirfrur rt r*r PirCi- 
nttry Ttxatici j tbt CMomitr, lbmx had* 
■fry RtudiHr tf; .mi ft ii'aSiuifij-fhh ft 
mi^fi gtai Sn/t, /turn! Rufin, /vii. atCi dmm- 
fir'aht Argumn/ts. trut Sfiril tf Pitrlttifd ami 
Ltfolu, that 1 am in Ltvt with tbt Jxihtr j it 
<r Ttftminj tf whiib I lhall bt Mined tSv «nr 
fmSng, mti Datn tf tbm.' - 
tcy The nim' Ittpremon of,- CONSIDE- 
RATIONS olWUp PROPRHXT ojf 
IMPpsiuiJ TAXES o>i iHt BRITISH 
COLONIES, ro» the. »u» 
ItAlsiNtj, a REVENUE, -by 
PARLIAMENT, being near' 
Second Is now in the Praia, 
publifh'd in a few Dayi. 



>y AQT of 

rlyallSoW.a 
mdw.Jbe 



This Paper has nevef had OcciflcJi to 
appear in Deep Mourning, Gn<f« tab 
Death of orif fare good 'lIHO, 
until NOW. 

fltotrW'/, Oa-.JVr 30, r7<S}. 
GEORGE ISENBEMfG, inrendiog to fpessd 




The TIMES 
DtfaDftll, 

tDifmat, 
tDolcfiri,- 

iDolOJOUJ, and 

DoLLAS-LEJS. 



58 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

The determined and uniform resistance produced its natural result, 
and the obnoxious law was finally repealed, March 18, 1766. 

Rumors of the repeal had reached Philadelphia as early as 27th 
March, by the way of Ireland through Maryland, and they were reit- 
erated, though not credited, early in April, but on (Monday morning) 
May 20th, the brig Minerva, Captain Wise, anchored opposite the 
town, and having been boarded by an " individual," the news was 
ascertained and the official copy of the repeal, printed by Baskett, 
the King's printer, was brought ashore and read aloud at the London 
Coffee House. 

This Act recited the passage of the Act, at the previous session 
of Parliament, for applying certain stamp duties, etc. And that 
Whereas the continuance of the said Act would he attended with many 
inconveniences and may be productive of consequences greatly detri- 
mental to the commercial interests of these Kingdoms ; 

Sgap it tberefo^e pleafe gour moll €xu\- 
lent a^ajeflp, t&at it map tie enaftea ; ana be it enaftea 
bp tbe feing'0 moft GErcellent s^aieflp, &p ana toitb tbt 
atituce ana Confent of t&e Lo*t>0 Spiritual ana Cempo* 
ral, anD Common*, in tbi0 piefent Iparliament affem- 
Mea, ana bp tbe autbojitp of tbe fame, Cbat from ana 
after tbe jFtrft IDap of May, SDne tboufanD fetien bunaiea 
ana ftrtp fir, tbe aboae*mentionea 3ft, ana tbe fetoeraf 
$£atter0 ana Cbingtf tberein containea, ftall be, ana 10 
ana are berebp repealea ana maae aoio to all Jntents 
ana lpurpofe0 tobatfoeaer. 

An immense crowd collected, and Captain Wise was bi-ought ashore 
amid acclamations to enjoy a large bowl of punch, to drink prosperity 
to America. The next evening the city was grandly illuminated and 
numerous devices displayed, "for which," says the "Pennsylvania 
Gazette," " the public is indebted to the Ladies who exercised their 
fancies on the occasion." 

P>onfires abounded, as did barrels of beer, and on the 21st we have 
to chronicle "an elegant entertainment at the State House," where 
the Governor (John Penn, then just about to be married to Anne 
Allen, elder daughter of William Allen the Chief Justice, and who 
was very probably awaiting this repeal for the purpose), the officers 
of the Government, of the Army, and of the Navy, including Captain 



Ji E.UNA NT OF STAMPED PAPER. 



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m the ofcv York Mercury /?? jAl .j&r Janustrr/ )3 ptffc \ j' ' f»i e 



60 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 



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T#E "JUST DEPENDENCY" ACT. 61 

Hawker, of the Sardine, and strangers in the city, sat down to a 
sumptuous feast in the Banqueting Hall. Due honor was done by 
toasts to the King and all the royal family, and to Lords, Commons, 
and Ministry, and especially by name to Mr. Pitt, to Lord Camden, 
to Daniel Dulany, of Mary- ^\ A J 

land, 1 to the London Com- JCJ * / ^1/7 S s -/^< 
mittee of Merchants, to the cU ^<- ■ SC//?** & **1 

Virginia Assembly, and to . tA& // j<Isl, ^ 

all the other Conti 

Assemblies actuated by 

like zeal for the liberties of their Country ; " May," said they, 

" the interest of Great Britain and her colonies be always united." 

The worshipful the Mayor did the honors while cannon, placed in 
the State House Yard, boomed forth the royal salute after " The 
King," and appropriately responded after every other toast. It was 
determined at the table to specially honor the 4th June approaching, 
as the birthday of " our most gracious Sovereign, and to dress our- 
selves in a new suit of the manufactures of England, and give what 
Home-spun we have to the poor." 

The Sardine, which had been kept in quarantine with the detested 
stamps on board, was brought up before the town and gayly decorated. 

On the 3d June, the Governor announced to the House the repeal of 
the Stamp Act ; a copy of the Repealing Act, and another for " secur- 
ing the just dependency of the colonies on the Mother Country," as 
the Honorable Mr. Conway phrased it, were laid before the House. 

Cbat \\)z fat'D Colonic 
anD ipiantariontf in America fjaue teen, are, anD of 
fttgbt oucjfn to be, fubo^Dhtate unto, anD DepenDem 
upon, the Imperial proton anD parliament of Great 
Britain ; anD tbat rbe !King'# ^afeflp, b£ anD tuitjj tbe 
&Dtrice anD Confent of tbe HojD# ^jriritual anD Cem* 
pojal, anD Common^ of Great Britain, in parliament 
attembleD, baD, J>atjb, anD of iaigbt ongbt to batoe, futt 
Jpotoer anD ambon'tp to make &ato# anD ^tature^ of 
Cuffirient jfojee anD OaliDitp to binD tje Colometf anD 
people Of America, ^ubjeft^ Of t\)B CfOttm Of Great Bri 
tain, in atl Cafeg tobatfoerjer. 

This elicited an address of thanks to the " most gracious Sovereign," 

1 Mr. Dulany, though afterwards a loyalist, staunchly opposed the Stamp Act as 
unconstitutional. 



62 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

and the assurance therein that they were " fully sensible how much 
the happiness of your People depends on a perfect harmony and con- 
nection between Great Britain and her Colonies, we assure your Maj- 
esty, that no care or endeavours shall be wanting on our part, to 
promote and establish that Union of affection and interests so essen- 
tial to the welfare of both, and to preserve that loyalty and affection 
to your Majesty's person and government, which we esteem to be one 
of their first and most important duties." 

This "just dependency" or Declaratory Act contained the germ 
of much future trouble. 

The Agents for Pennsylvania, in London, were instructed to give 
the Assembly " the earliest intelligence of every new measure or reg- 
ulation, that shall be proposed or intended to be proposed in Parlia- 
ment, wherein the general liberties of America, or those of this 
colony, may in the least be affected or concerned." 

Many months were allowed to elapse, however, ere any attempt 
was made by Great Britain to exercise the power, claimed by this 
statute, when suddenly, in 1767, an act was passed for imposing 
duties on glass, paper, painters' colors, and TEA ; the duties were 
trifling, but the discussions incident to the Stamp Act had opened 
the eyes of the colonists, generally, to their rights as freemen under 
the Constitution of England. In the guise of a plain farmer, John 
Dickinson, by a series of letters published in the newspapers, clearly 
demonstrated the necessity of resisting the imposition of a tax by the 
British Parliament, and pointed out that a free people are not those 
over whom only a Government is reasonably and equitably exercised, 
but those who live under a Government so constitutionally checked 
and controlled, that its exercise otherwise is rendered impossible. 

The Assembly of Pennsylvania at once enjoined their agents in 
London, under date of February 20, 1768, " to cooperate with the 
agents of the other colonies in any decent and respectful application to 
Parliament (in case such application is made by them), for a repeal 
of the late act imposing duties on the importation of paper, glass, etc., 
into the American Provinces, which act is looked upon as highly in- 
jurious to the rights of the people." On the same day the House 
adjourned to meet on the 9th of May following. 

In the recess the Speaker received a communication from the 
Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Assembly, setting forth specif- 
ically the infringements upon the constitutional rights of the Prov- 
inces by this Revenue Act and asking suggestions. This deservedly 
celebrated " Circular Letter " was promptly, May 10th, laid before 
the Assembly. 




PENNSYLVANIA FIRM FOR UNION. 63 

As the necessary instructions had already been given to their 
agents, and the Pennsylvania Assembly only remained two days in 
session, no further official action was taken at this time. 

Upon the very day of their reassembling an artful letter from Lord 
Hillsborough, the Co- 
lonial Secretary, was 

transmitted by the — ~** ' /7/9 / 

Governor to the House, t^/L j^^^Z7YZ / 

in which he sought, 

after bestowing praise \ 

upon Pennsylvania for 
the reverence and re- 
spect always shown by her to the Constitution, to detach her from 
the interests of her sister colonies. He invites her to stamp the 
action of Massachusetts as unjustifiable. On the same day, in bold 
arid emphatic language, the protest of Virginia was laid before the 
House. " While," say they, " we do not affect Independency of our 
Parent Kingdom, we aspire to the national rights of British subjects, 
and assert that no power on Earth has the right to impose Taxes 
upon us without our consent." The Old Dominion not only endorsed 
what Massachusetts had done, but expressed the opinion " that the 
Colonies should unite, in a firm and decent opposition to every measure 
which might affect their rights and liberties." 

Lord Hillsborough's letter elicited a Resolution fully sustaining the 
magnanimous views of Massachusetts, and insisting upon " the un- 
doubted right of the various Assemblies of the Colonies to correspond 
with each other relative to grievances affecting the general welfare." 

A committee was at once appointed to express the sentiments of 
Pennsylvania, who reiterated and enforced the instructions already 
given on 20th Febuary to their agents, and inclosed for presentation to 
the King, to the Peers, and to the Commons, separate petitions, insisting 
" upon those rights, and that freedom which they are by birth entitled 
to as men and Englishmen who cannot be legally taxed, either by the 
principles of equity or the Constitution, but by themselves or their 
legal Representatives." In writing to their agents they also drew 
attention to the fact that the reasons assigned by them, throughout 
the petitions, to induce a repeal were " very much confined to the 
right of the Colony in being exempted from Parliamentary taxation ; 
little is said on the inexpediency of the regulation adopted by the 
Act, lest seeming to rely on the latter should weaken the arguments in 
support of the former." 



64 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Thus " the most temperate province of Pennsylvania " had scarcely 
need to be" roused from its slumbers by the voice of the Old Domin- 
ion," as has been alleged. 

These direct protests, ably seconded by the Merchants throughout 
the country, who entered again into agreements not to import from 
England those articles that were subjected to a tax, finally produced 
the repeal, April 12, 1770, of this Act, though an exception was still 
made by Parliament. That exception was the duty on tea, an article 
that even then had become a necessity, and had yielded to the East 
India Company <£ 130,000, sterling, per annum. Relying upon the im- 
portance of this beverage, and apparently believing that, by reducing 
its price, the technical claim of "right to tax America," could continue 
to be made, an export duty was actually taken off, while a smaller duty 
on importation into the colonies was imposed, and even this was at- 
tempted to be covered up by requiring its payment in England, thus 
to the consumers the cost apparently was alone increased. 

The Americans were not to be taken unawares, nor yet to be over- 
come by the bribe ; they detected the " snake in the grass," and forth- 
with set about crushing its head. 

In the Pennsylvania Assembly, on 4th February, 1771, a committee 
was appointed to draft a petition to the King for repeal of this duty 
also, " since great danger is apprehended from the continuance of such 
a precedent for taxing the Americans without their consent." Messrs. 
Dickinson and Morton were both on this committee, which, on 5th 
March, represented their grievance in a respectful though firm and 
able petition for redress. Corresponding instructions were given to 
their Agent in London, and reiterated at every session, but without 
avail. 

The legislature was not unmindful during the lull following the re- 
peal of the Stamp Act, of charitable or of scientific wants of the times. 
Their journals teem with reports on the Pennsylvania Hospital — an 
institution which they had in every way fostered from its establish- 
ment, some dozen years before. The individual members frequently 
assumed duties the salaries of which they appropriated to this noble 
foundation. 

In their encouragement of scientific researches the Assembly sanc- 
tioned and contributed to the erection of a building, destined to be 
famous in the history of Independence. This was " The Observa- 
tory "in the State House yard. 

The American Philosophical Society had presented a petition to 
the Assembly in October, 1768, setting forth that a transit of Venus 



THE OBSERVATORY. 65 

over the sun would take place on the third of June, following, that it 
would afford the best method of determining the dimensions of the 
solar system, together with the correct longitude of the places where 
observations should be made, etc., that as none other would occur for 
more than one hundred years, the interests of astronomy as well as of 
navigation demanded the encouragement of public bodies, and hence 
they requested that some provision should be made by the govern- 
ment for " the purchase of a reflecting telescope of about three feet 
focus, and to defray expenses." It was stated that no telescope was 
to be found in the Province, and possibly none on the Continent, 
proper for the purpose. 

This petition was now supplemented by another, asking permission 
to erect an observatory in the State House grounds, " with such pub- 
lic assistance as you may think convenient for erecting the same." 

These requests were both complied with by the Assembly. The 
telescope was ordered through Dr. Franklin — the then agent of 
Pennsylvania at London. £100 were granted, and permission given 
for the erection of the required building upon the public grounds. 

The telescope duly arrived ; the observations were made by David 
Rittenhouse, assisted by Dr. John Ewing, Joseph Shippen, Thomas 
Pryor, James Pearson, and Dr. Hugh Williamson and Charles Thom- 
son, — the two last mentioned destined to become prominent in the 
history of their country. The weather proved fine, and the situation 
very favorable, so that the society had the gratification to report that 
their observations " had been highly acceptable to those learned bodies 
in Europe to whom they have been communicated." 

While no trace of this building is now visible, the foundations were 
discovered, when recently perfecting the sewerage of the Square. It 
appears to have been of circular shape, and was erected about forty 
feet due west from the rear door of the present Philosophical Hall, and 
about same distance south from the wall of the present (eastern) wing. 
It would form an eminently appropriate site for a monument to the 
signers of the Declaration of Independence, so long in contemplation. 

The period of non-importation in Philadelphia gave rise to various 
new enterprises, among them the establishment of a china factory in 
Southwark. Gousse Bonnin (apparently a Dane) and George An- 
thony Morris of Philadelphia, were the proprietors. 

In January, 1771, they applied to the Assembly for aid. But little 
is known in regard to this attempt ; the present interest in " the 



66 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Ceramic Art " seems to call for the petition in full as laid upon the 
table in the Assembly room. It reads as follows : — 



THE ADDRESS OE THE PROPRIETORS OF THE CHINA MANUFACTORY. 

Worthy Sirs : — We, the Subscribers, actuated as strongly by the sincer- 
est Attachment to the interest of the Public as to our private Emolument, 
have at our sole Risque and Expence introduced into this Province a Manu- 
facture of Porcelain or China Earthen Ware, a Commodity, which by Beauty 
and Excellence, hath forced its way into every refined Part of the Globe, 
and created various imitative Attempts, in its Progress through the different 
Kingdoms and Principalities of Europe, under the Sanction and Encourage- 
ment of their several Potentates. Great Britain which hath not been the least 
backward, in Royal Testimonials of Favour to the first Adventurers, in so 
capital an Undertaking, cannot yet boast of any great Superiority in Work- 
manship, surpassing Denmark, France and the Austrian Netherlands, she 
yields the Palm to Saxony, which in her Turn gives Place to the East Indies. 
America, in tliis general Struggle, hath hitherto been unthought of, and it is 
our peculiar Happiness to have been primarily instrumental in bringing her 
forward ; but how far she shall proceed, in a great Measure, depends on the 
Influence of your generous Support. We have expended great Sums in bring- 
ing from London Workmen of acknowledged Abilities, have established (hem 
here, erected spacious Buildings, Mills, Kilns and various Requisites, and 
brought the Work, we flatter ourselves, into no contemptible Train of Perfec- 
tion. A Sample of it we respectfully submit to the Inspection of your 
Honourable House, praying it may be viewed with a favourable Eye having 
Reference to the Disadvantages under which we engaged ; if happy enough to 
merit your approbation we would not wish to aspire at the Presumption of 
dictating the Measure of your Encouragement, but with all Humility hint at 
the Manner. You Gentlemen, who are appointed to a dignified Pre-eminence 
by the free Votes of your Countrymen, as well for your known Attachment 
to their truest Welfare, as superior Knowledge must be sensible, that capital 
Works are not to be carried on by inconsiderable Aids or Advancements : 
Hence it is, we beg leave to point out the Propriety of a Provincial Loan, at 
the Discretion of your Honourable House, independent of Interest, for a cer- 
tain Term of Years. Under such Indulgence, on our Part we shall not be 
deficient in the Display of a Lively Gratitude, and the Promotion of the 
Colony's service, by the introducing of an additional Number of Experienced 
Workmen the Extension of our Buildings, and Improvement of the Manu- 
facture, endeavoring to render it equal in Quality to such as is usually im- 
ported, and vending it at a cheaper Rate. We have the Honour, etc., etc., etc. 

The " Tea Act " of Parliament still remained upon the Statute 
Book ; it was, however, practically nullified by the absolute refusal of 




^« - J« \ >-m e m» efjr, «r 1 



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3^ 



z&4 (Ayr . 4wrw<m 



< f( J n ( U6 



(tftfji. 






THE PHILADELPHIA "TEA PARTY." 07 

the Americans themselves to import, or even to receive the tea on 
board the ships belonging to American ports. This caused an immense 
accumulation in the warehouses of the East India Company in London. 
In collusion with the ministry, the latter set about chartering vessels 
themselves, having determined, in the language of the day, " to cram 
the tea down the throats " of the colonists. These vessels were to be 
consigned to different parties in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and 
Charleston. 

News of this fact reaching Philadelphia at the end of September, 
gave rise to an unprecedented commotion among the inhabitants, and 
possibly to the now well-known expression of " a tempest in a tea pot," 
for to such " base uses " may the most solemn events be subservient. 
The Philadelphia papers teem with addresses to the Commissioners 
and to the public. Probably the most able is from Scaevola, in the 
" Pennsylvania Chronicle," of the 11th October. The Boston papers 
tfeok up the refrain, and, on the 14th of the same month, " express the 
same sentiments in regard to the tea, expected from London, as the 
people of New York and Philadelphia, whose conduct they highly 
approve and strongly urge their countrymen to imitate. The masters 
of all their London vessels, too, they expect, like those of New York 
and Philadelphia, will refuse to bring any tea to America while the 
duty remains." 

An immense public meeting was held in the State House Yard on 
the 10th day of October, 1773, when the following spirited resolutions 
were adopted, and appeared in the public prints on the 18th : — 

" Resolved, That the disposal of their own property is the inherent right ot 
freemen ; that there can be no property in that which another can, of right, 
take from ns without our consent ; that the claim of Parliament to tax Amer 
ic;i is, in other words, a claim of right to levy contributions on us at pleasure. 

'• That the duty imposed by Parliament upon tea landed in America is a 
tax on the Americans, or levying contributions on them without their' consent. 

" That the express purpose for which the tax is levied on the Americans, 
namely, for the support of government, administration of justice, and defense 
of his Majesty's dominions in America, has a direct tendency to render Assem- 
blies useless, and to introduce arbitrary government and slavery. 

" That a virtuous and steady opposition to this Ministerial plan of gov- 
erning America is absolutely necessary to preserve even the shadow of liberty, 
and is a duty which every freeman in America owes to his country, to himself, 
and to his posterity. 

" That the resolution lately entered into by the East India Company to 
send out their tea to America, subject to the payment of duties on its being 
landed here, is an open attempt to enforce this Ministerial plan, and a violent 
attack upon the liberties of America. 



68 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HAIL. 

" That it is the duty of every American to oppose this attempt. 

" That whoever shall, directly or indirectly, countenance this attempt, or 
in any wise aid or abet in unloading, receiving, or vending the tea sent or to 
be sent out by the East India Company, while it remains subject to the pay- 
ment of a duty here, is an enemy of his country. 

"That a committee be immediately chosen to wait on those gentlemen 
who, it is reported, are appointed by the East India Company to receive and 
sell said tea, and request them, from a regard to their own characters, and the 
peace and good order of the city and province, immediately to resign their 
appointment." * 

Notice of the actual sailing on the 27th of September, of the ship 
with the cargo of tea intended for Philadelphia, was publicly given 

1 In Boston, on 3d November, a meeting was held at " Liberty Tree," to enforce 
the resignation of the consignees of the tea intended for that city, which proved in- 
effective, but resulted in another on 5th November, when the Hon. John Hancock, 
Esq., was chosen Moderator, and at which it was — 

" Resolved, That the sense of this town cannot be better expressed than in the 
words of certain judicious resolves, lately entered into by our worthy brethren, the 
citizens of Philadelphia." Here follow the resolves of the citizens of Philadelphia, 
of October ICth, preceding, as given in the text. 

It is especially noteworthy that the handsome compliment thus and then paid to 
the city of Philadelphia, was, in 1873, returned in kind, by the selection for com- 
memoration — as the salient event in the history of the defeat of the ' ' Tea 
Scheme " — of the patriotic action of the Bostonians. 

At this Boston meeting it was also, — " Resolved, that it is the determination of 
this town by all means in their pow'er, to prevent the sale of the teas exported by the 
East India Company," etc., etc. The Messrs. Clarke, Messrs. Faneuil & Winslow, 
as well as the Hutchinsons, all consignees of the tea, were evasive in their responses 
sent to this assemblage, which declared them to be " daringly affrontive to the 
town." A renewal of a demand for their resignations at another meeting held on 1 8th 
November, also resulted in an equivocal reply, which was voted " not satisfactory." 

On the 28th, the ship Dartmouth, Captain Hall, eight weeks from London, with 114 
chests of the long expected and much talked of tea, " actually arrived and anchored 
at the Long Wharf;" immediately appeared a notification for every friend of his 
country, to himself and to posterity, to meet at Faneuil Hall, to take action in the 
premises — but Faneuil Hall proved too small to hold the multitude which answered 
the call, and an adjournment was had at the " Old South Meeting House," — 
where the sense of the meeting was declared: " That it is the firm resolution of this 
body, that the tea shall not only be sent back in the same bottom, but that no duty 
shall be paid thereon." As the consignees had professed a desire to give satisfac- 
tion to the town, the meeting " out of great tenderness to these persons, notwith- 
standing the time hitherto expended ujxhi them to no purpose," adjourned over till 
the next day, the 30th November, in order to receive reply, but that proving no 
more satisfactory, promises were extorted from the captain of the vessel, then in 
port, as well as the owner, and effectually to secure their compliance, a watch was 
then appointed for the Dartmouth, as well as for the expected vessels, to which 



THE PHILADELPHIA " TEA PARTY:' 69 

in the papers of the first day of December, and, as it was then hourly 
expected, the "Americans" were urged to "be wise — be virtuous." 
On the 27th of September the self-constituted Committee for Tarring 
and Feathering had issued handbills of the most friendly kind to the 
pilots on the Delaware River, admonishing them: "Do your duty if 
perchance you should meet with the (tea) ship Polly, Captain 

equally they determined their resolutions should apply; then pledging each other to 
carry their votes and resolutions into execution at the risk of their lives, they peace- 
ably adjourned, after thanking those who "came from the adjoining towns for their 
countenance and union with this body in this exigence of our affairs," and also Jon- 
athan Williams, Esq., who presided as Moderator at this meeting. 

A few days afterwards arrived the Eleanor, Captain Bruce, with 116 chests, and 
then the Beaver, Captain Coffin, with 114 chests of tea. A caution was posted up 
throughout the town, that the granting of a permit to land, while it would betray an 
inhuman thirst for blood, would also in a great measure accelerate confusion and civil 
war. No effort was made to land the tea, the consignees themselves having taken 
rCfuge in " the Castle," but egress from the harbor was denied, and the alternative 
of destruction to the tea alone presented itself to the Patriots. At the meeting 
held on 16th December, — prolonged till candles were brought in, — this fact be- 
came apparent, when suddenly from the gallery of the " Old South," the war whoop 
was raised by a person disguised as a Mohawk Indian, 'and a cry, " Boston Harbor 
a Tea Pot to-night ! " and " Hurrah for Griffin's Wharf ! " A significant motion to 
adjourn was immediately put and carried, and the populace streamed to the place of 
rendezvous. A score or more disguised in a sort of mongrel Indian costume, with 
faces blackened, accompanied by a posse, of fifty, boarded the three vessels without 
molestation, and having broken open the boxes of tea with their " tomahawks," 
cast the contents into the water, and then dispersed quietly to their homes. 

In New York, intimation was received as early as October 11th, of the con- 
signment of tea to that port, and on the loth, at a meeting at the Coffee House, 
grateful thanks were rendered to the patriotic merchants and masters of vessels in 
London, for refusing to receive from the East India Company on freight a quantity 
of tea, etc., in strong contrast with which, one William Kelley, late of New York, and 
designated as infamous, who had undertaken to advise the sending of the tea to New 
York, and " the cramming the tea down the throats of his fellow-citizens," was 
hung and burnt in effigy at the Coffee House, with appropriate labels and insignia 
to indicate the contempt of the people, and the fate that awaited him personally if 
caught. An association termed the Sons of Liberty, was formed, and at a meeting 
at City Hall, on 29th November, resolutions were passed similar to those of Phila- 
delphia and Boston, with which cities they "perfectly concurred," and rejecting 
the proposition then made by the government, of landing the tea and placing it in 
the fort, while a warning to the citizens appeared, under the favorite pseudonym 
of the "Mohawks," against presuming even "to let their stores for the reception 
of the infernal chains," thus sought to be imposed upon the colonists. 

Notwithstanding, however, this opposition and that of the good people of Charles- 
ton, the tea was landed at both places, but stored under the protection of the 
authorities, the consignees having refused to receive it. The firm stand taken by 
the citizens rendered it dangerous to attempt to expose it for sale, and it is believed 
none was sold. 



70 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Ayres," and followed it up, as the vessel was actually reported off 
Cape May, by an address to the aforesaid captain, which, after a 
warning to desist from any effort to approach the city with his vessel, 
plainly promises, in case of his persistence : " A halter around your 
neck, ten gallons of liquid tar scattered on your pate, with the feathers 
of a dozen wild geese laid over that to enliven your appearance." In 
the meantime demands were made upon the commissioners to refuse 
the consignment. Equivocal responses were at first made by some, 
but finally they all yielded. A card, addressed to Messrs. James & 
Drinker, probably received no direct response. These gentlemen, 
however, had united with their fellow-citizens in protesting against 
the Stamp Act, and both had signed the non-importation resolutions 
of 170") ; it is not likely, therefore, that such omission proceeded from 
any want of patriotism. 1 The card is still extant. 



A CARD. 
HTHE PUBLIC prefent their Compliments to Meffieurs JAMES 
and DRINKER. We are informed that you have this day 
received your commiffion to enflave your native Country ; and, 
as your frivolous Plea of having received no Advice, relative 
to the fcandalous Part you were to aft, in the Tea-Scheme, can 
no longer ferve your purpofe, nor divert our Attention, we ex- 
pect and defire you will immediately inform the Public, by a 
Line or two to be left at the Coffee House, Whether you will, 
or will not, renounce all Pretentions to execute that Commif- 
fion ? that We may govern ourselves accordingly. 

Philadelphia, December 2, 1773. 



The strenuous measures thus taken in Philadelphia in anticipation, 
were justified by the news received, December 24th, from Boston, of 

1 Abel James, the head of the firm of James & Drinker, who occupied the house 
of his father-in-law, Thomas Chalkley, immediately on the wharves, as represented 
in the old painting of Philadelphia by Peter Cooper, was waited upon by a crowd 
of citizens, and in response to a demand for his resignation then and there made, he 
gave the guarantee of his word and property that the tea should not be landed, but 
that the ship should go back to England; then pointing to his young daughter 
Rebecca, who stood near him, perched on the head of one of her father's hogsheads, 
he pledged her (a vivum radium) to the fulfillment of his promise. This young girl 
in after years married John Thompson, and was the grandmother of (besides sev- 
eral esteemed Philadelpbians of the same, name) John T. and George T. Lewis, 
gentlemen so well known on the wharves neighboring the transaction above related, 



THE PHILADELPHIA "TEA PARTY." 71 

what bad there occurred ; the announcement was made in an extra of 
that date : — 

" Friday Evening, 5 o'clock. 

" Yefterday, (December 16th), we had a greater meeting of this body than 
ever, the country coming in from twenty miles round, and every ftep was 
taken that was practicable for returning the teas. The moment it was 
known out of doors that Mr. Rotch could not obtain a pafs for his fhip by 
the caftle, (on the outward voyage), a number of people huzza'd in the 
ftreet, and in a very little time every ounce of the teas on board of Capts. 
Hall, Bruce, and Coffin was immerfed in the bay, without the leaft injury 
to private property. The fpirit of the people on this occafion furprifed all 
parties who viewed the fcene. 

We conceived it to be our duty to afford you the moft early advice of 
this interefting event by exprefs, which, departing immediately, obliges us 
to conclude. " By order of the committee." 

" P. S. — The other veffel, viz: Captain Loring, belonging to Meffrs. 
GJark, with fifty-eight chefts, was by the act. of God, caft afhore on the back 
of Cape Cod." 

On Christinas-day, an express conveying intelligence of the arrival 
at Chester of the long-expected ship Polly reached Philadelphia. 
Immediately committees were dispatched to the commander. They 
succeeded in intercepting him at Gloucester Point, and, requiring him 
to tome on shore, represented the general sentiments of the people, 
and desired him to accompany them to town to ascertain for himself 
their temper and resolution. 

Yielding to their wishes, he reached Philadelphia in the evening. 
An announcement appeared the next morning, December 27th, at 
nine o'clock : — 

"The tea ship having arrived, every inhabitant who wishes to preserve the 
liberty of America is desired to meet at the State House, this morning, pre- 
cisely at ten o'clock, to consider what is best to be done in this alarming crisis." 

The crowd assembled, according to call, though upon notice of an 
hour only, is said to be the largest ever, up to that time, collected. 
The State House being found inadequate, an adjournment to the 
Square took place. The resolutions that were adopted, were concise 
and peremptory : — 

" Resolved. First. That the tea on board the ship Polly, Captain Ayres, 
shall not be landed. 

and so esteemed as to need no pledges of any kind to fortify to their fellow-citizens 
their simple word of honor. 



72 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

" Second. That Captain Ay res shall neither enter, nor report his vessel at 
the custom-house. 

"Third. That Captain Ayres shall carry back the tea, immediately. 

" Fourth. That Captain Ayres shall immediately send a pilot on board his 
vessel, with orders to take charge of her, and to proceed to Reedy Island next 
high water. 

" Fifth. That the captain shall be allowed to stay in town till to-morrow, to 
provide necessaries for his voyage. 

" Sixth. That he shall then be obliged to leave town and proceed to his 
vessel, and make the best of his way out of our river and bay. 

" Seventh. That a committee of four gentlemen be appointed to see these 
resolves carried into execution." 

The meeting was then informed of the spirit and resolution shown 
upon this subject by the people of Boston, New York, and Charleston, 
whereupon it was unanimously, — 

" Resolved. That this assembly highly appove of the conduct and spirit of 
the people of New York, Charleston, and Boston, and return their hearty 
thanks to the people of Boston for their resolution in destroying the tea, 
rather than suffer it to be landed." 

Though it was computed at the time that there were nearly eight 
thousand persons present at this meeting, the business was conducted 
with a degree of order and decorum which showed that the importance 
of the cause was duly felt. 

Captain Ayres having been called out, pledged himself that the 
public wishes should be complied with, and the very next day lie 
was respectfully attended to the wharf of Messrs. James & Drinker, 
by a concourse of people, who wished him a good voyage, and, 
" Thus," says a contemporary account, " this important affair, in 
which there has been so glorious an exertion of public virtue and 
spirit, has been brought to a happy issue, by which the force of a law, 
so obstinately persisted in to the prejudice of the national commerce, 
for the sake of the principle upon which it is founded (a right of tax- 
ing the Americans without their consent), has been effectually broken, 
and the foundations of American liberty more deeply laid than ever." 

The repeal of the Tea Tax Act, unlike its predecessor, was not to be 
thus effected ; rigorous measures were determined upon by the ruling 
powers of Great Britain. 

The enforced return by the Philadelphians of the detested tea, in 
repudiation of the right of the Parliament to tax the colonists, did not 
afford the ministry a salient object of attack, but what passed in Bos- 
ton, the actual destruction of the tea, though done in a most orderly 



THE BOSTON PORT BILL AND UNION. 



7;; 




manner, was declared by a majority in the English Parliament to be 
an overt act of high treason "proceeding from," says no less a person 
than Lord Mansfield, " onr over lenity and want of foresight." The 
mother country must assert her authority, and as punishing all the 
colonies at the same time seems to have been deemed inexpedient, the 
devoted town of Boston was selected for chastisement, as an example 
to some, whiLe to others the individual benefits sure to accrue to their 
ports from the mode selected would allure from the rapidly growing 
union of the colonies. 

While "Divide et impera " became more obviously the axiom of 
the British Govern- 
ment, this only en- [^ l » ' '» l »> ''» ' t 'P ''w n iii inM iti V' ' W 1 » T »Mlti ' wivm ![ imi i ii 'm u ii iiH ii i) i »wwii i | i n l 
forced the views of 
the patriots through- 
out the country, and 
induced its correla- 
tive " Unite or Die " 
— the watchword 
learned while acting 
on the defensive 
against the Indians 
when unassisted by 
the mother country, 
came again popular 
Revolutionary flag. 

The privileges of Boston, " the ring-leading town," as a harbor were 
suspended, its port closed against all commerce until it should make 
amends and promise future obedience to the King and Parliament of 
England. 

But Boston showed no sign of yielding. That town " bore its bur- 
den with dignity and based its hopes of deliverance upon Union," says 
its chiefest historian. 1 

It was not disappointed. Throughout the Colonies there was but 
one sentiment, the " wound upon the single nerve convulsed the whole 
body, divulging its vitality." " These acts of the British Parliament 
are unconstitutional, oppressive, and dangerous to ALL the Amer- 
ican Colonies, and must be resisted," was the universal cry. 

Charles Lee — only recently arrived, though soon to become prom- 
inent as an advocate with pen and sword of the rights of America — 

1 Richard Frotbingbam, whose valuable Rise of the Republic should be studied by 
every true American, and kept among his " window books." 



UNITE OR DIE- 



The early emblem, a dissevered rattlesnake, be- 
and no doubt gave the cue to the subsequent 



74 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

could not restrain Lis surprise that the tyranny over Boston seemed 
to be resented by the other Colonies in a greater degree than by the 
Bostonians themselves, while the feeling of the Continent was re- 
ported to be expressed in the most eloquent words by Washington : 
" I will raise one thousand men, subsist them at my own expense, and 
march, myself at their head, for the relief of Boston." 

On Friday evening, the 20th of May, in Philadelphia, a meeting of 
its residents was promptly held to consider " the execrable Port Bill," 
and it was determined to make the cause of Boston their own ; while 
they recommended firmness, prudence, and moderation to the inhab- 
itants of Boston, they gave assurance "that the citizens of Phila- 
delphia would continue to evince their firm adherence to the cause 
of American Liberty." In testimony thereof, they then and there 
appointed a committee of correspondence, consisting of Rev. William 
Smith (who is now known to have drafted the reply to the Boston 
committee), Thomas Mifflin, George Clymer, Charles Thomson, and 
others. They transmitted, says the " Essex Gazette," by the hands 
of Paul Revere, to Boston, these sentiments of the people, and " their 
resolution to stand by us to the last extremity." They further ad- 
vised, in a copy of their letter sent to New York and to the southern 
colonies, that the first step that ought to be taken was to call a GENE- 
RAL congress of all the Colonies. 

On the first of June, the day the Boston Port Bill was to go into 
operation, the shops were generally closed throughout the city ; a few 
days afterwards a large meeting of the Manufacturers and Mechanics 
was held at the State House to express their concurrence with their 
New York brethren, " and to adopt such measures as will most effec- 
tually tend to unite us in the common cause of our country, strengthen 
the hands of our patriotic merchants, and animate and administer 
relief and solid comfort to our brave and suffering countrymen in the 
besieged capital of Massachusetts Bay." 

During the last days of the session of the Pennsylvania Assembly, 
September, 1773, information of a highly important character had been 
communicated to the House. Virginia announced that that Colony 
had appointed standing committees to keep up a correspondence 
with her sister colonies on all proceedings that might tend to deprive 
them all of their ancient, legal, and constitutional rights. This com- 
mittee was composed of (besides others) Peyton Randolph, Richard 
Bland, Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin Harrison, Edmund Pendleton, 
Patrick Henry, Archibald Cary, and Thomas Jefferson. Contem- 
poraneously were presented from Massachusetts, resolutions concur- 



THE BOSTON PORT BILL AND UNION. 75 

ring in this action and expressive of a grateful sense of the obligation 
that colony was under to the " House of Burgesses of Virginia, for 
the vigilance, firmness, and wisdom which they had discovered, at all 
times', in support of the rights and liberties of the American Colonies/' 
Massachusetts placed upon her committee (among others) Thomas 
Gushing, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Elbridge Gerry, Joseph 
Hawley ; Connecticut, also concurring, selected William Williams, 
Samuel H. Parsons, Silas Deane ; Rhode Island notified the appoint- 
ment of Stephen Hopkins, Metcalf Bowler, Henry Ward, and Henry 
Marchant. As the Assembly would be dissolved by the charter in a 
few days thereafter, the Speaker was instructed to reply to these sev- 
eral Colonies assuring them that Pennsylvania appreciated the impor- 
tance of cooperation with them in measures to secure the preservation 
and security of their rights and liberties, but that no measures at that 
time could be taken in view of dissolution, and that the new Assem- 
bly would meet in a fortnight. 

In accordance with this promise, upon the opening of the session of 
the new House the Assembly promptly authorized the committee of 
correspondence — which already existed, and which had existed for 
very many years — to correspond with the other committees of the 
various colonies. This committee consisted of the Speaker, Joseph 
Galloway,' Samuel Rhoads, Samuel Miles, William Rodman, Isaac 
Pearson, and John Morton. 

Within a few days, Delaware, too, gave notice of her emphatic con- 
currence in the measure, appointing Cassar Rodney, George Read, 
Thomas McKean, and others. 

Maryland, early in 1774, officially expressed her confidence in the 
great utility of a perfect UNION, stating that on the 15th of Octo- 
ber, 1773, the committee of that Province had been appointed, con- 
sisting of Matthew Tilghman, Thomas Johnson, William Paca, Samuel 
Chase, Edward Lloyd, and others. 

At the State House, in the yard, there was assembled on Saturday, 
the 18th of June, a general meeting of citizens which pledged the city 
of Philadelphia to the common cause of liberty, and ultimately secured 
the State. Thomas Willing and John Dickinson were made joint-chair- 
men, and under their auspices and those of the Rev. William Smith, 
a series of spirited resolutions were passed, declaring the act for clos- 
ing the port of Boston unconstitutional and oppressive, and dangerous 
to the liberties of the other Colonies as well as to Massachusetts ; af- 
firming that a Congress of deputies from the several Colonies was the 
most probable and proper mode of procuring relief, and appointing a 



76 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

committee to correspond with the " Sister Colonies " as well as with 
the other counties of Pennsylvania. A subscription was also raised 
at this meeting for the relief of the sufferers in Boston. 

In introducing these resolutions, Dr. Smith referred to the impor- 
tance of the deliberations, as they were then called upon to decide 
" whether the breach with the country from which we are descended 
shall be irreparably widened, or whether ways and means upon con- 
stitutional grounds, may not yet be found for closing that breach," 
and he invited free expression of opinion, deprecating at the same 
time any " hissing or clapping," etc. 

A committee was appointed to carry out the intent of the meeting. 
During the following winter a shipment was made of hundreds of 
barrels of flour, and of " ship stuff," with information that it was only 
a part of the subscriptions procured in Philadelphia " which amounts 
at present to about two thousand pounds ; " that the contributions 
from the country, and of different townships of Pennsylvania, would 
be forwarded as might be prescribed by the Boston Committee ; 
concluding with " tenderly feeling for the inexpressibly distressed 
situation of your town, and wishing an happy and speedy issue from 
the exertions of tyranny to the full enjoyment of peace, liberty, and 
security." 

The Assembly of Pennsylvania was not in session ; it had ad- 
journed on January 22d, 1774, to meet on 12th September. Efforts to 
induce the Governor to call a special session proving fruitless, applica- 
tion was made by the Committee to the Speaker to address circular 
letters individually to the members inviting them to Philadelphia, to 
which request he consented ; but the Governor, either from expediency, 
under these circumstances, or from necessity, — assigning the Indian 
troubles as a cause, — formally called a special session of the Legis- 
lature for July 18th, following. Whereupon the committee fixed the 
15th as the time, and Carpenter's Hall as the place for meeting in 
convention of committees from every county of the Province, believ- 
ing this, as they say, to be the most effective means towards a Union ; 
they appeal to the public spirit of Pennsylvania, instancing that 
; ' all the Colonies from South Carolina to New Hampshire seem ani- 
mated with one spirit in the common cause, and consider this as the 
proper crisis for having our differences with the mother country 
brought to some certain issue, and our liberties fixed upon a perma- 
nent foundation." 

Already a Congress of Delegates from all the Colonies had been sug- 
gested by " a Philadelphia!!," in March, 1773. A spirited appeal in 



A CONGRESS ADVOCATED. 77 

favor of it followed in the Boston Gazette, and Samuel Adams boldly 
advocated it about the same time ; but now it was demanded uni- 
versally. 

The popular committees in New York and Williamsburg, with 
one accord, addressed communications similar to that of the Phila- 
delphia Committee already cited, to the Boston Committee in favor of 
its immediate call, and requested them to appoint the time and 
place. 

The Massachusetts Assembly, on 17th June, with their door locked, 
and while the Governor's secretary on the outside was reading through 
the key-hole the proclamation dissolving them, had fixed the 1st of 
September following as the time, and Philadelphia as the place ; and 
at the same time appointed their own delegates, five in number, 
James Bowdoin, Thomas dishing, Samuel Adams, John Adams, and 
Robert Treat Paine. 

Rhode Island, too, had, on 20th June, officially responded, " it is the 
opinion of this Assembly that a firm and inviolable Union of all the 
colonies in counsels and in measures, is absolutely necessary for the 
preservation of their rights and liberties." 

And now, during this " called " short session of five days of the 
Pennsylvania AssembW, the walls of that very room, destined to 
witness its full development, listened to a debate which unquestion- 
ably laid the corner stone of that empire which had been foretold 
seven years before. 

It was July 19,1774 ; Virginia, the Old Dominion, through the pens 
of Peyton Randolph, Robert Carter Nicholas, and Dudley Digges, 
spoke : 

"The propriety of appointing Deputies from the several colonies of British 
America to meet annually in general congress, appears to be a measure ex- 
tremely important and extensively useful, as it tends so effectually to obtain 
the wisdom of the whole in every case of general concern with respect to the 
unhappy dispute with our mother country. We are desired to obtain your 
sentiments on this subject which you will be pleased to furnish us with, being 
very desirous of communicating to you the opinion and conduct of the late rep- 
resentatives on the present posture of American affairs as quickly as possible, 
we beg leave to refer you to a future letter in which we shall more fully ex- 
press our sentiments on those subjects." 

This communication bears date May 28, 1774, and may justly be 
regarded as the first official suggestion for an annual Congress. 

Sympathy with the Bostonians, coupled with distrust of the Legisla- 



78 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

ture, had, as we have seen, induced a popular movement in Philadel- 
phia, and, as its results, a body composed of representatives from 
the several counties in Pennsylvania met in convention at Carpenter's 
Hall on the 15th of July. 

" There is," determined they, " an absolute necessity that a Con- 
gress of Deputies from the several colonies be immediately assembled 
to consult together and form a general plan of conduct to be observed 
by all the colonies, for the purposes of procuring relief for our suffering 
brethren, obtaining redress of our grievances," etc., etc. 

This action was formally communicated on the 19th to the Assem- 
bly, and was followed up on the 21st of July by the appearance of 
the whole body in the Assembly chamber. With much solemnity 
they laid before the Speaker in his chair of office their Resolves on 
the Grievances of the Colonies and their Instructions to their Repre- 
sentatives in Assembly, together with a request for the appointment 
of Deputies to Congress. Thomas Willing was Chairman, and Charles 
Thomson, Clerk. 

Thus stimulated, the Legislature pledged Pennsylvania to the Union, 
and selected from the Assembly the Speaker (Joseph Galloway), Sam- 
uel Rhoads, Thomas Mifflin, Charles Humphreys, John Morton, George 
Ross, and Edward Biddle to be her representatives in the Congress to 
meet those from the other colonies, leaving, however, the time and place 
to be selected by the general body. 1 John Dickinson, not then a mem- 
ber of the Assembly, was chosen at the next following election, and 
immediately added to the Congressional Delegation. 2 

" The Instructions " of July 23, 1774, to the Committee of Assembly 
appointed to attend tlie General Congress, give the cue to their subse- 
quent action : — 

Gkntlemen : — 

The trust reposed in you is of such a nature, and the modes of executing it 
may be so diversified in the course of your deliberations, that it is scarcely pos- 
sible to give you instructions respecting it. We shall, therefore, only in gen- 
eral direct that you are to meet in Congress the Committees of the several Brit- 
ish colonies at such time and place as shall be generally agreed on to consult 
together on the present critical and alarming situation and state of" the colonies, 
and that you with them exert your utmost endeavours to form and adopt, a 

1 Connecticut and Maryland had already selected their representatives. Eight 
other Colonies followed the example, Georgia alone taking no action at this time. 

2 It was Mr. Dickinson who prepared the admirable resolutions of the Provincial 
Committee which undoubtedly brought Pennsylvania into line. 



PENNSYLVANIA AND THE FIRST CONGRESS. 19 

plan which shall afford the best prospect of obtaining a redress of American 
Grievances, ascertaining American rights, and establishing that union and har- 
mony which is most essential to the welfare and happiness of both countries. 
And in doing this you are strictly charged to avoid everything indecent or dis- 
respectful to the mother state. You are also directed to make report of your 
proceedings to the next Assembly. 

Signed by order of the House, 




Speakt 



The Assembly, however, at the time seem to have made no provision 
for a Hall for the meeting of Congress, though Philadelphia had already 
been named as the place. The Assembly chamber itself would be 
needed early in September, the Legislature having adjourned to meet 
on the 12th of that month, so that seemed to be out of the question. 

Carpenter's Hall, then a new building, had already been used for 
civic purposes. The Philadelphia Committee and the " Provincial 
Committee," which both cooperated to bring about this meeting of 
Congress, had assembled in the lower room, and it was doubtless they 
who arranged with the Carpenter's Company for the meeting place of 
Congress. 1 

On the 5th September, accordingly, assembled that memorable 
body generally known as The First Continental Congress. 

Having convened at the City Tavern, the delegates walked to the 
Carpenter's Hall, where, says Mr. John Adams, " they took a view of 
the room and of the chamber where is an excellent library ; there is 
also a long entry where gentlemen may walk, and a convenient cham- 
ber opposite to the library. The general cry was that this was a good 
room, and the question w r as put whether we were satisfied with this 
room, and it passed in the affirmative. A very few were for the neg- 
ative, and they were chiefly from Pennsylvania and New York." 

It sat with closed doors. After passing a resolution approving of 
the opposition made by the inhabitants of Massachusetts, to the ex- 

1 The Journals of the Assembly indicate that the Province of Pennsylvania bore 
the expenses " of the sitting of Congress," as well as affording them an official rec- 
ognition by giving that body " a most elegant entertainment at the City Tavern, 
the whole House dining with us, making near one hundred guests." 



8© 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 




caupenter's hall ik 1774. 



edition of the recent Acts of Parliament, and that, if the same should 
be attempted to be carried into execution by force, all America ought 
to support them in their opposition, it determined upon, and the 
members individually signed, an association sometimes called " the 
Commencement of the American Union ; " in which they agreed for 
themselves and their constituents not to export, import, or consume 
any merchandise from Great Britain. A Declaration of Rights was 
adopted, as were also an address to the people of Great Britain and 
another to the King ; but they refused to appeal to Parliament. 

The patriotism and dignity of this body, its noble and statesman- 



THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS. 81 

like action, find their best exponents in the never to be forgotten 
words of Lord Chatham upon the floor of the House of Peers ; they 
form the euloginm on its individual members : — 

" When your lordships look at these papers transmitted ns from America, 
when you consider their decency, firmness, and wisdom, you cannot but re- 
spect their cause and wish to make it your own. For myself, I must avow, 
that in all my reading and observation (and it has been my favorite study), 
I have read Thucydides and have studied and admired the master states of 
the world, — that for solidity of reason, force of sagacity, and wisdom of con- 
clusion under a complication of difficult circumstances, no nation or body of 
men can stand in preference to the General Congress at Philadelphia. 

" The histories of Greece and Rome give us nothing equal to it, and all at- 
tempts to impose servitude upon such a mighty continental nation, must be 
vain. We shall be forced ultimately to retract ; let us retract while we can, 
not when we must." 1 

*The Congress dissolved October 26, 1774, but George III. and his 
ministry were equally deaf to their appeal and to the advice of the 
far-seeing Lord Chatham. Pennsylvania in common with the other 
colonies cordially approved (December 10) the proceedings and re- 
solves of Congress, which were laid before them, 2 and " most seriously 
recommended to the good people of the Province a strict attention to, 
and inviolable observation of the several matters and things contained 
in the Journals of Congress." 

They now appointed " Delegates " instead of committees, to rep- 
resent the colony in the ensuing " Continental Congress," and reit- 
erated the instructions of the previous July. 

Prophets were not wanting to predict the effect that would be 
produced by the Congress of 1774. A South Carolinian foresees that 
" eighteen hundred and seventy-four will be a year of triumphant 

1 Josiah Quincy, Jr., the youthful patriot, was present, and his report, cor- 
roborated by Dr. Franklin, 

also present in the House /o (~\ 

of Peers at the time, is in ^ffr-t £ c*^£_ c^^i^t^***-*^-*--? rf'**^? 

these words: "For genuine y / SQZ^'^ 2 -^ 

sagacity, for singular mod- £-' ' (/ 

eration, for solid wisdom, 

manly spirit, sublime sentiments, and simplicity of language ; for every thing re- 
spectable and honorable, the Congress of Philadelphia shines unrivaled." 

2 It is believed that thirteen copies were actually signed by the members of this 
Congress for this especial purpose. -Two copies are known to be extant ; one of 
these, which had descended in the family of Matthew Tilghman, is now deposited 
in the National Museum of Independence Hall. 



82 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

jubilee, when medals, pictures, fragments of writings will revive the 
memory of these proceedings and when, if any adventitious circum- 
stances can give precedency, it will be to inherit the blood or even to 
possess the name of a member of this glorious assembly ! ! " 

While Rev. Ezra Stiles prophesied " If oppression proceeds, despot- 
ism may force an ANNUAL congress ; a public spirit of enterprise 
may originate an American Magna Charta and Bill of Rights, sup- 
ported by such intrepid and persevering importunity as even sover- 
eignty may hereafter judge it not wise to withstand. There will be 
a Runnymede in America." 

Yes, " the Congress " which proved to be " Annual," assembled in 
Philadelphia, on 10th May, 1775, and paved the way to the American 
Rnnnymede in Independence Hall. But in the meantime occurred 
some significant events which left their foot-prints in our " State 
House Yard." 

The Battle of Lexington and of Concord was fought on 19th April, 
1775. The tidings reached Philadelphia on the afternoon of the 24th. 
Immediately notices were given for a public meeting, and upon the 
next day the State House Bell called together " eight thousand people 
by computation who assembled in the Yard," in order to consider 
what measures should be pursued. After several " eloquent and pa- 
triotic speeches," say the newspapers of 26th April, " the company 
unanimously agreed to associate for the purpose of defending with 
arms their lives, liberty, and property, against all attempts to deprive 
them of them." 

Thus in the State House Yard originated the first effort on the 
part of Pennsylvania to raise its quota towards the Army of the Rev- 
olution, and to assert by force of arms the constitutional rights of 
its citizens. 

It is true thus far it was only a popular movement, but as we shall 
see presently, the regularly constituted Legislature, whose prolonged 
controversy with the Governors on this subject we have traced, soon 
gave its authoritative sanction. 

The Royal as well as the Proprietary interest, in the meantime, 
sought, through their joint influence in Pennsylvania, to break up the 
Union of the Colonies, which was being rapidly cemented, and thus 
growing formidable. 

John Penn in a message to the Assembly, on 2d May, 1775, trans- 
mitted certain resolutions of the British Parliament, popularly called 
"Lord North's Olive-branch," which after reciting "an existing rebel- 
lion in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and that they have been 



. 




THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS. 83 

countenanced and encouraged by unlawful combinations by several of 
the other Colonies," professed an inclination and desire to " pay 
attention and regard to any real grievance." This profession the 
Governor had the temerity to call " a strong disposition manifested by 
that august body to remove the causes which have given rise to dis- 
contents, etc.," and he urged upon them "as the first Assembly to 
whom this resolution had been communicated and which I have au- 
thority to tell you is approved of by his Majesty," to contribute their 
separate proportion to the common defense, and thus secure exemp- 
tion from duty, tax, or assessment. 

But John Dickinson prepared the refusal of the House. " If no 
other Objection to ' the Plan ' proposed occurred to us, we should 
esteem it a dishonorable Desertion of Sister Colonies, connected by an 
Union founded on just Motives and mutual Faith, and conducted by 
General Councils, for a single Colony to adopt a Measure, so extensive 
iffc Consequence, without the Advice and Consent of those Colonies 
engaged with us by Solemn Ties in the same Common Cause." They 
deprecate the " Calamities of a Civil War," from which the Governor 
had expressed the hope Pennsylvania would rescue the colonies, but 
they conclude that while such would be a dreadful misfortune indeed 
it would be exceeded as such by " an utter Subversion of the Liberties 
of America." 

There were not now wanting voices to supplicate for a grant 
of a sum of money, — amounting at least to fifty thousand pounds, 
towards putting the Province in a state of defense, in the most 
effectual way. 

Franklin, the moment of his return from the London agency, 
was added to the Congressional delegation together with Thomas 
Willing and James Wilson on 6th May, and a few days thereafter, 
Galloway, who had already importuned the House "to be excused 
from serving as a Deputy to the Continental Congress," was " ex- 
cused from that service." On 13th May the House adjourned to 
19th of June. 

As has already been intimated, the Second Continental Congress 
sat in the State House. The tenth of May had been fixed for their 
meeting ; the Assembly of Pennsylvania was on the eve of adjourn- 
ment, and now for the first time they relinquished their chamber 
in the State House for the use of the Representatives of the United 
Colonies, leaving for that distinguished body all the furniture and 
equipment of their chamber — the eastern room on the first floor, soon 



84 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

to earn and now universally known by the title of " Independence 
Chamber." 

The Assembly frugally ord red " a dozen Windsor chairs," with 
which they supplemented the furniture of " the Court Room," of 
which they now took temporary possession for their sessions. 1 

The Congress of 1775 was essentially composed of the same dele- 
gates who had been members of its precursor. Its sessions were held 
from May 10th to August 1st, and from September 5th to December 
30, 1775.' 

Its members were, — 

From New Hamjyshire. 

John Sullivan. Josiah Bartlett. 

John Lanodon. 

From Massachusetts. 

John Hancock. John Adams. 

Thomas Cusiiing. Robert Treat Paine. 

Samuel Adams. 

From MJiode Island. 
Stephen Hopkins. Samuel Ward. 

From Connecticut. 

Eliphalet Dyer. Silas Deank. 

Roger Sherman. 

From New York. 

Philip Livingston. Henry Wisner. 

James Duane. Philip Schuyler. 

John Alsop. George Clinton. 

John Jay. Lewis Morris. 

Simon Boerum. Francis Lewis. 

William Floyd. Robert R. Livingston. 

From Neiv Jersey. 

James Kinsey. John DeIIart. 

Stephen Crane. Richard Smith. 

William Livingston. 

1 The western room on the first floor, now forming part of the National Museum. 
They afterwards appropriated and occupied for some years one of the square cham- 
bers on the second floor, though returning apparently in 1781 or 1782, to the old 
Court Room, as we shall hereafter see. 



THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS. 85 

From Pennsylvania. 

Edward Btddle. Thomas Mifflin. 

John Dickinson. Charles Humphreys. 

John Morton. James Wilson. 

George Ross. Robert Morris. 

Benjamin Franklin. Andrew Allen. 
Thomas Willing. 

From Delaware. 

CLesar Rodney. George Read. 
Thomas McKean. 

From Maryland. 

Matthew Tilgiimax. John Hall. 

Thomas Johnson, Jr. Thomas Stone. 

Robert Goldsborough. Robert Alexander. 

William Paca. John Rogers. 
c Samuel Chase. 

From Virginia. 

Peyton Randolph. Richard Bland. 

George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. 

Patrick Henry. Thomas Nelson, Jr. 

Richard Henry Lee. George Wythe. 

Edmund Pendleton. Francis Lightfoot Lee. 
Benjamin Harrison. 

From North Carolina. 
William Hoofer. Richard Caswell. 

Joseph Hewes. John Penn. 

From South Carolina. 

Henry Middleton. John Rutledge. 

Thomas Lynch. Edward Rutledge. 

Christopher Gadsden. 

From Georgia. 

Lyman Hall. Noble Wimberly Jones. 

Archibald Bulloch. John J. Zubly. 

John Houstoun. 

Upon the re-assembling of the Pennsylvania Legislature, the citi- 
zens of Philadelphia knocked at their door with the renewed request 
for a vote of credit, that suitable pay and subsistence might be prom- 
ised to such officers and soldiers of the military association already 



86 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 




formed as should solemnly engage to go into actual service if required, 
and for the purpose of supplying needful arms and ammunition for 
any emergency. 

The House, now hearkening to the voice of the blood which cried 
unto them out of the ground of Lexington and of Concord, at once cor- 
dially approved the military association already entered into by "the 
good people of this Province " in defense of their lives, liberty, and 
property. They undertook "to provide for and pay the necessary 
expenses of the officers, and soldiers, when called into active service, 
in case of invasion or landing of British Troops or others made in 
this or the adjacent Colonies, during the present Controversy." 

They recommended and enjoined the raising of Minute men for 
any emergency, to be held in readiness to march to the assistance of 
any Colony, and selected as a committee — giving them full powers 
to secure the Province against any hurt from within as well as from 
without — some of their staunchest patriots (names soon to become 

distinguished in the 
field, and in the na- 
tional councils), John 
Dickinson, Anthony 
Wayne, Benjamin 
Franklin, William 
Thompson, Edward 
a n d Owen Biddle, 
George Ross, John 
Cadwalader, Robert 
Morris, Thomas Will- 
ing, Daniel Roberdeau 
and others. To pro- 
vide the necessary 
funds they ordered to 
be issued bills of credit 
for thirty -five thousand 
pounds " according to 
the Resolves of the As- 
sembly of Pennsylva- 
nia, made on the 30th 
day of June, in the 
fifteenth year of his 
Majesty George III." II — and these bills, unlike their predeces- 
sors generally, bear the royal arms, instead of those of Penn and 
of Pennsylvania. 



ami 



lift TEN shilungs » « 

According to the Resolves of 
the As- [^ & yg 1 "mbly 

of Penn ' a&^ssfe' J' lvania > 
madc on !oJB§f<?& the 3 ° th 

GEO. 5r~^«r^Wi, L Da 

ted at |p dg> PbdaJJ- 

phia, the 20th Day of July, 1775. 

Ten Shill. A 




ACTION OF THE LEGISLATURE. 



87 



The bills were ordered to be delivered to Michael Hillegas, who 
was appointed Treasurer. Provision was made for their redemption 
by a tax to be levied on all estates, real and personal, by the asses- 
sors, who were " enjoined, and required to raise, levy, and recover, 
and pay the same as they regard the Freedom, Welfare, and Safety 
of their Country." 

The House, however, was not unmindful of what was due to 
" Friends," for " taking into consideration that many of the good 
people of this Province 
are conscientiously scru- 
pulous of bearing Arms, 
it is earnestly recom- 
mended to the Asso- 
ciators for the defence 
of their Country, and 
others, that they bear 
a tender and brotherly 
regard towards this class 
of their fellow-subjects 
and countrymen ; and 
to these conscientious 
people, it is also recom- 
mended, that they cheer- 
fully assist, in propor- 
tion to their abilities, 
such Associators as can- 
not spend their time and 
substance in the public 
service without great 
injury to themselves 
and their families." 

The Associators shortly afterwards complained of the lenity shown 
towards persons professing to be conscientiously scrupulous against 
bearing arms, and they say " that people sincerely and religiously 
scrupulous are but few in comparison to those who, upon this occasion 
as well as others, make conscience a convenience" and they beg the 
Legislature to establish some decisive plan by which it might not be 
left to mere inclination, but that every one should contribute a fixed 
and determined proportion either in men or money — and this request 
was strongly endorsed by the Committee of Safety of which Franklin 
was now President — but the House adjourned a few days afterwards, 




88 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

on 30th September, recommending these Applications " to the serious 
attention of the succeeding Assembly." 

The new House assembled on 14th October, 1775, and Robert Mor- 
ris is now returned for Philadelphia County. The important subject 
referred to this House is promptly entered upon. " The people called, 
Quakers " at once addressed them by petition, personally presented, 
and after endeavoring to show that William Penn's glorious grant of 
universal toleration, together with the chartered rights of liberty of 
conscience, would be impinged upon by taxes or otherwise for warlike 
purposes, they assert " the power of judging respecting our sincerity, 
belongeth only to the Lord of our Consciences, and we hope, in a 
Province heretofore remarkable for the preservation of religious and 
civil liberty, the Representatives of the People will still be conscien- 
tiously careful that it may remain inviolate." 

Counter petitions, showing the fallacy of these claims, were now- 
presented by the Committee of the city, by the Officers and by the 
Privates of the Military Association. 

At this important juncture, there was a renewed effort to open the 
doors of the Assembly Room to " Freeholders," that they might hear 
the debates on a question that vitally concerned the whole community, 
— but the motion was negatived eighteen to nine. Among those vot- 
ing in the affirmative were Robert Morris, George Ross, and George 
Taylor. 

The sessions of the Legislature had always been strictly private. 1 

In February, 1764, however, a petition Avas presented from a num- 
ber of the inhabitants of the city of Philadelphia, praying " that the 
House would be pleased to make a standing Order that the Freemen 
of this Province shall have free access at all seasonable times in future, 
to hear their Debates, as is the Custom in the House of Commons in 
Great Britain, and elsewhere in his Majesty's Dominions." This 
caused considerable debate, and it was finally ordered, that a commit- 
tee should " examine the Journals of the House of Commons, and report 
the Usage and Practice thereof, in respect to the Privilege petitioned 
for by the said Inhabitants, and to enquire likewise what the Practice 
is in the other American colonies." 

It was not, however, till the October sitting of 1770 that a resolu- 
tion was introduced and passed " to set open the doors of the Assem- 
bly Room for the admission of the Freeholders and other reputable 

1 This shows the absurdity, independent of the obvious inconsistency of architec- 
ture of the Report to Councils in 1828, " that there had been originally a gallery for 
auditors in Independence Chamber." 



END OF THE COLONIAL LEGISLATURE. 89 

inhabitants, at seasonable times, to hear the debates," etc., etc. Even 
this limited privilege was not conceded without a long debate, and upon 
the first noticeable occasion, five years afterwards (4th March, 1775), 
it was not deemed " seasonable " to open the doors. The question for 
debate was then the Governor's message of February 21, 1775, on the 
only proper and constitutional mode of obtaining redress of American 
grievances, viz., by humble representation to his Majesty by the sev- 
ei*al Assemblies. Eighteen members were then adverse ; among them 
Galloway, Humphreys, and John Morton. Thirteen in favor, — Mifflin, 
Wayne, Thompson (all of them afterwards Generals in the Army of 
the Revolution), Charles Thomson, and George Ross. 

The debates upon the Memorial of the Associators were protracted, 
but their requests were finally concurred in. The Assembly recom- 
mended all " male white persons," between the ages of sixteen and 
fifty, " who are not conscientiously scrupulous of bearing arms," to 
join the military association, whose rules and regulations were ratified ; 
they provided that all those who should and would not associate for 
the defence of the province should contribute an equivalent in mone}% 
" ministers of the Gospel of all denominations, and servants purchased 
bond fide, alone excepted." 

They also directed the sum of £80,000 additional to be issued for 
the exigencies of the service. It was now stated to the House that for 
the first time " some persons not sufficiently attending to the import- 
ance of preserving public credit at this critical juncture, scruple re- 
ceiving the bills," of the commission for military purposes, by which 
means they feared depreciation. 1 

The House adjourned on 25th November, 1775, to meet on 12th of 
February following. Then assembling, they held a session which 
terminated on 6th April, during which time they determined to raise 
ten battalions of riflemen, and one of musketmen, consisting of 500 
each, and to issue £ 85,000 in paper money to pay these troops, and 
to meet other expenses. Their next session covered the period from 
May 20 to June 14, 1776. 2 

The celebrated Resolution of Congress of 15th May, recommending 
in certain cases the establishing of new Governments under " the au- 
thority of the People," would possibly, at the outset, have been taken 
into consideration by the Assembly, but promptly a protest against 

1 Suck a catastrophe had never happened to the Pennsylvania Bills of Credit, 
which, unlike those of most of the colonies, were guarded by real estate security. 

2 From and after the date of May 21st, we find the name of the Proprietary Gov- 
ernor ignored upon the Journals. 



90 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

their right to frame a new Government was presented. " We mean 
not," say divers of the inhabitants, " to object against the House exer- 
cising the proper powers it has hitherto been accustomed to use for 
the safety and convenience of the Province, until such time as a new 
Constitution, originating from, and founded on, the authority of the 
People shall be finally settled by a Provincial Convention, to be 
elected for that purpose." But since " the chartered power of this 
House is derived from our mortal enemy, the King of Great Britain, 
and the members thereof were elected by such persons only as were 
either in real or supposed allegiance to the said King, to the exclusion 
of many worthy inhabitants whom the aforesaid Resolve of Congress 
hath now rendered Electors ; and as this House in its present state is 
in immediate intercourse with a Governor bearing the said King's 
commission, and who is his sworn Representative, holding, and by oath 
obliged to hold, official correspondence with the said King, and is not 
within the reach of any act of ours to be absolved therefrom, therefore 
we renounce and protest," etc. This bold document was signed by 
Daniel Roberdeau, as chairman. 




eY 



) 




It was the result of an immense town meeting, which took place at 
the State House, and in the adjoining square, notwithstanding the 
rain, which came down in torrents, on the 20th. May, 177(3. 

Resolutions were adopted : — 

First, That the [existing] Instructions [of. the House to their dele- 
gates in Congress] may have a dangerous tendency to withdraw this 
Province from the happy Union with other colonies, which we con- 
sider our glory and protection. 

Second, That the present House of Assembly was not elected for 
the purpose of forming a new government. 

Third, That for them to do so would be assuming arbitrary 
power. 

Fourth, That the present government is incompetent for the exi- 
gencies of our affairs. 

Fifth, "Resolved, That a Provincial Convention ought to 

BE CHOSEN BY THE PEOPLE." 

While this action was essentially a tentative experiment, tending to 
an independent Government, it was the initiative towards practically 
making the people of America the sovereign power. 



THE INITIATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 91 

A committee was, in consequence of the protest sent them, appointed 
by the House to draw up a memorial, for a precise explanation by 
Congress, and legislative action accordingly postponed. 

The " Committee of Inspection " for the County of Philadelphia, 
presented an address to the Assembly, expressive of their alarm " at 
the prospect of a disunion, which must attend the prosecution of a 
scheme (for separation from Great Britain) that will in the end not 
only set Province against Province, but (more dreadful to think) fo- 
ment civil discords in each." 

They admit that if the " infernal plan of despotism" should be per- 
sisted in by the British Ministry, they would be driven " by violence 
to that last shift, a Declaration of Independence; every one will then 
be convinced of the necessity of such a measure, and we shall be as 
one man so united and strengthened by the conviction as to bid defi- 
ance to all their attempts. What we have to offer or advise is, that 
you will most religiously adhere to the Instructions given to our Dele- 
gates in Congress. We consider them our greatest security. And we 
do further most seriously entreat that you will to the utmost of your 
power oppose the changing or altering, in any the least part, of our in- 
valuable Constitution, under which we have experienced every happi- 
ness, and in support of which there is nothing just or reasonable which 
we would not willingly undertake." 

These opposing views were again and again brought before the 
House in Representations and Counter Representations ; on the 28th of 
May the House received a petition from " the Freemen and Inhabi- 
tants of the County of Cumberland," wherein they besought the with- 
drawal of the instructions given to the delegates of Pennsylvania in 
Congress, in which the latter were enjoined not to consent to any step 
which might cause, or lead to, a separation from Great Britain. 

No action was taken ; within a few days, however, — the fifth of 
June, — the Speaker, promptly upon its receipt, laid before the House 
a letter dated on 22d May, from the President of the General Con- 
vention of Virginia, enclosing resolutions which had been by that body, 
" thought indispensably necessary to enter into at this important crisis." 

As the first official act pregnant with the issue of actual Indepen- 
dence we must listen to the very words as first uttered in this building. 

The clerk reads : — 

In Convention, Wednesday, May 15, 1776. 
Present 112 Members. 

Forasmuch as all the Endeavors of the United Colonies, by the most decent 
Representations and Petitions to the King and Parliament of Great Britain, 



Y 

92 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

to restore Peace and Security to America under the British Government, and 
a re-union with that People upon just and liberal Terms, instead of a Redress of 
Grievances, have produced from an imperious and vindictive Administration in- 
creased Insult, Oppression, and a vigorous Attempt to effect our total Destruc- 
tion : — By a late Act all these Colonies are declared to be in Rebellion, and out 
of the Protection of the British Crown, our Properties subjected to Confisca 
tion, our People, when captivated, compelled to join in the Murder and Plunder 
of their Relations and Countrymen, and all farther Rapine and Oppressions of 
Americans declared legal and just; Fleets and Armies are raised and the Aid 
of foreign Troops engaged to assist these destructive Purposes : The King's 
Representative in this Colony hath not only withheld all the Powers of Govern- 
ment from operating for our Safety, but, having retired on Board an armed Ship, 
is carrying on a piratical and savage War against us, tempting our Slaves, by 
every Artifice, to resort to him, and training and employing them against their 
Masters. In this State of extreme Danger, we have no alternative left but an 
abject Submission to the Will of those overbearing Tyrants or a total Separa- 
tion from the Crown and Government of Great Britain, uniting and exerting 
the Strength of all America for Defence, and forming Alliances with Foreign 
Powers for Commerce and Aid in War: — Wherefore, appealing to the Searcher 
of Hearts for the Sincerity of former Declarations expressing our Desire to 
preserve the Connection with that Nation, and that we are driven from that In- 
clination by their wicked Councils, and the eternal Laws of Self-preservation ; 

Resolved, unanimously, That the Delegates appointed to represent this Col- 
ony in General Congress be instructed to propose to that respectable Body to 
declare the United Colonies free and independent States, absolved from all 
Allegiance to, and all Dependence upon, the Crown or Parliament of Great 
Britain ; and that they give the Assent of this Colony to such Declaration, and 
to whatever Measures may be thought proper and necessary by the Congress 
for forming foreign Alliances, and a Confederation of the Colonies, at such 
Time, and in the Manner, as to them shall seem best : Provided, that the 
Power of forming Government for, and the Regulations of the internal Con- 
cerns of, each Colony be left to the respective Colonial Legislatures. 

Resolved, unanimously, That a Committee be appointed to prepare a Declara- 
tion of Rights, and such a Plan of Government as will be most likely to main- 
tain Peace and Order in this Colony, and secure substantial and equal Liberty 
to the People. 



Bu 



&n. 



J &m QU^eJtvvi J . 



A debate of considerable length ensues, the question being finally 
called for, is put by the Speaker, — shall a committee be appointed to 
bring in new instructions to the delegates of this Province in Con- 
gress. 



THE INITIATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 93 

It was " carried in the affirmative by a large majority," says the 
Journal. 

John Dickinson, Robert Morris, Joseph Reed, George Clymer, and 
Messrs. Wilcocks, Pearson, and Smith, were appointed the committee 
to bring in the draught of instructions. 

They promptly reported " an essay for that purpose the next day " 
which was referred for consideration to the day following. 

The Pennsylvania Legislature was scarcely yet prepared to take the 
bold stand of Virginia. Unlike Virginia, Massachusetts, and most of 
her sister colonies, Pennsylvania had been permitted under the existing 
government to assume her place in the Union ; it could not be said 
she possessed " no government sufficient to the exigencies of her 
affairs." It should be borne in mind in reference to this colony that 
it not only possessed a Proprietary government, but through the Pro- 
prietary, had received a most liberal charter by which every individ- 
uality had always been protected. Her institutions had nourished and 
developed the greatest lawyers of their day, who had under all circum- 
stances fearlessly advocated the just privileges of freemen. Andrew 
Hamilton had successfully shown that the Constitution of England 
would not tolerate infringement upon individual rights, while his suc- 
cessor, John Dickinson, the very foremost of the early patriots, had 
proved to English as well as to American minds, that the spirit of that 
very same Constitution of Great Britain extended to America and 
embodied all that was needed to ensure perfect liberty. 

The form of government was thus believed to be unexceptionable, 
and the acts of the ruling ministry, even though sustained by the reign- 
ing sovereign and his parliament, were simply regarded as usurpations 
that could not and would not be maintained eventually ; hence " the 
Liberals," and "the Conservatives," were nearly equal in numbers. 1 

Conservatism naturally thus engendered, and growing with the 
growth of Pennsylvania, was also reinforced by the religious tenets of 
the Quakers whose doctrine of non-resistance (like the celebrated hat- 
on-head theory), originating in a virtue, had far outrun the views of the 
noble Founders, and thus gave rise to a third class, "the Loyalists." 

The fourth class — the Tories, were only represented by Joseph 
Galloway, Andrew Allen, and a handful of others, who soon " se- 
ceded." 

1 The American citizen of to-day whether of New York, or of Boston, or of Phil- 
adelphia, shows quite equal forbearance in his toleration of the abuse of republican 
institutions, in yielding to the rule of the present legislators in city and in state, 
hoping always that something will " turn up " to rid the country of the jobbers and 
peculators who now govern it. 



94 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

While the debate is still pending in the second story of the build- 
ing, in the legislative assembly, which was to decide the participancy 
of Pennsylvania, let us descend the stairs with John Dickinson and 
Robert Morris, who, with Mr. Speaker Morton (restrained by his posi- 
tion from accompanying us), Franklin, Biddle, Humphreys, Willing, 
Ross, and even Allen, had the right to appear on behalf of Pennsyl- 
vania, and enter the great National Assembly then in session in the 
Eastern Room on the first floor. 

It is Friday, the 7th June, 1776. John Hancock, the President, is 
seated in the ancient chair, once that of the speaker of the Pennsylvania 
Assembly. It stands upon a dais or platform at the eastern end of 
the chamber, elevated two steps from the floor. Before the President 
is a plain mahogany table, oblong in shape, with drawers convenient for 
use, its sole ornament a massive silver inkstand bristling with qnills. 1 

Over the door of entrance, " suspended in the Congress Room," is 
its chief decoration, — the Patriot or Rebel Flag of the Navy, which had 
been presented to Congress on the 8th of February, 1776, by Colonel 
Christopher Gadsden, of the Marine Committee of Congress. It is 
described as an " elegant standard, such as is to be used by the com- 
mander in chief of the American Navy ; being a yellow flag with a 
lively representation of a rattlesnake in the middle in the attitude of 
going to strike, and these words underneath, ' Don't tread on me.' " 2 

In a semicircle on either side of the president are seated the dele- 
gales in Congress ; clustered in groups, according to the colonies which 
they represent, in order the more, readily to give the authorized vote. 

Now is taken that first step toward the Magna Charta, the mem- 
orable act which sanctifies the whole building, — the already expected 
" Runnymede of America." 

Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, rises in his place. He holds in his 
unfettered hand the instructions from the Convention assembled at 
Williamsburg. Those instructions which we have already heard read 
to the Pennsylvania Assembly, which had been brought to Philadel- 
phia but a few days before by Thomas Nelson, Jr., himself then present 
as a delegate from Virginia. 

Mr. Lee reads, amidst breathless silence, a resolution still extant in 
his own handwriting : — 

1 For the reclamation and identification of this inkstand see page 

2 It was not till June 14, 1777, that Congress adopted the " Stars and Stripes,' 
— thirteen of each, — though the standard in actual use by the army consisted, as 
early as 1775, of thirteen alternate red and white stripes, either with the British 
Union Jack, or having upon the stripes a rattlesnake, transversely painted, some- 
times with the words given in the text. This latter flag was most probably displayed 
with the navy flag in June, 17 76. 



THE INITIATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 



05 




nion ; a 
re; 



96 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Among the auditors, there are sitting several men, who for many 
weeks have been toiling to bring their fellow-countrymen to this point, 
and yet the doubt of unanimity among the colonies causes the stillness 
that ensues to be almost painful. Personal responsibility had long 
been lost sight of. This, as well as the fate of the country, had for 
some time, obviously, been recognized as dependent upon U 
perfect union would insure success, while division must entail failu 
then " Rebellion," with all its consequences. Hence Union was now 
the paramount idea. 

Mr. Dickinson anxiously fixes his eyes upon Samuel Adams, who, 
catching the anticipated glance, merely compresses his lips a little 
more tightly, and bows to his younger colleague and namesake, John 
Adams, who thereupon rises, and seconds the motion, and the mo- 
mentous question is, without debate, postponed till the morrow. 

Charles Thomson, the Secretary of Congress, seated at the right 
hand of the President, at a desk similar to his, thus makes the official 
entry in his Journal : — 

" Certain Resolutions respecting Independency being moved and seconded, — 
"Resolved, That the consideration of them be referred till to-morrow morn- 
ing, and that the members be enjoined to attend punctually at ten o'clock, in 
order to take the same into their consideration." 

On the Saturday we may readily imagine a full house. The mo- 
tion was immediately referred to the " Committee of the Whole," 
whereupon the President yielded the chair to Benjamin Harrison of 
Virginia. Till seven o'clock in the evening of that day, and again on 
Monday the 10th of June, till seven o'clock in the evening, was the 
question debated in the committee. 

Its immediate adoption was now urged on the floor by Richard 
Henry Lee, John Adams, George Wythe, Elbridge Gerry, Thomas 
McKean, Thomas Jefferson, and Samuel Adams. 

Edward Rutledge, Robert R. Livingston, John Dickinson, James 
Wilson, and most probably both Carter Braxton and John Rogers, 
besides some others, earnestly advocated the postponement of the 
question. 

The arguments of the latter prevailed to some extent. It was 
agreed in committee to report to Congress the Resolution, which was 
adopted by a vote of seven colonies to five, and the final question was 
on motion (apparently of Edward Rutledge) in Congress postponed 
till July 1. 

But in order to meet the views of both sides, the Committee of the 



THE INITIATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 97 

Whole expressed its conclusions " that in the mean time, least any 
time should be lost in case the Congress agree to this Resolution, a 
committee be appointed to prepare a declaration in conformity to it." 
This was adopted by Congress. 

On the next day, the committee on the Declaration of Independence 
was chosen by ballot. In the absence of Mr. Lee, the mover of the 
Resolution (who had been called home by the illness of his wife) 
Thomas Jefferson was selected from Virginia, that colony being cer- 
tainly entitled to have the chairman ; John Adams, who had seconded 
it, and the three others chosen were, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sher- 
man, and Robert R. Livingston. 

The delegates from Pennsylvania, it must be borne in mind, up to 
this time, in common with those from New York, New Jersey, Dela- 
ware, and Maryland, were restricted either specifically by their " in- 
structions," or by the expressed will of their constituents, from agree- 
ing \o any act or resolution that would separate the colonies from the 
mother country. 

Let us return to the temporary quarters occupied by the Pennsyl- 
vania Legislature, on the second floor of the State House, and trace 
its action, — since for the present with this colony only we are con- 
cerned. When we last left that chamber on 7th June, the Assembly 
was still debating the proposed instructions to their delegates in Con- 
gress, upon which necessarily depended their vote for or against Inde- 
pendence. The debate over " the Cumberland County Petition," as 
it was called, — though really the question whether or not to concur in 
the Virginia action, — continued for still another day, and for several 
days thereafter no quorum could be secured. At last, on 14th June, the 
very day of what may be regarded their final adjournment, 1 new and 
modified instructions were finally ordered to be signed by the Speaker. 
After explaining therein that their previous order to dissent from and 
reject, on the part of Pennsylvania, any propositions that might cause 
a separation from Great Britain, "did not arise from any diffidence of 
your ability, prudence, or integrity, but from an earnest desire to serve 
the good people of Pennsylvania with fidelity in times full of alarming 
dangers and perplexing difficulties." They say, " The situation of 
public affairs is since so greatly altered, that we now think ourselves 
justifiable in removing the restrictions laid upon you by those instruc- 
tions." 

1 On this same day the House adjourned over to 26th of August; on 28th of that 
month to 23d of September, and died out in three days more. 

7 



98 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

They recapitulated their reasons. They avow that the happiness of 
these colonies had been their first wish during the whole course of the 
fatal controversy, reconciliation with Great Britain their next ; but 
that at this time all hopes for a reconciliation on reasonable terms were 
extinguished. 

Within a few days, there met at Carpenters' Hall a body of repre- 
sentative men called " The Provincial Conference." It was composed 
of committees sent from the various counties of Pennsylvania, the re- 
sult of the meeting (we have already attended) in State House Yard, 
to determine what action should be taken by the people of Pennsyl- 
vania under the Resolution of the Continental Congress for suppressing 
all authority under the Crown of Great Britain. After promptly re- 
solving upon a call for a Constitutional Convention, they unanimously, 
on 24th June, the eve of adjournment, for their constituents and them- 
selves, declared their " willingness to concur in a vote of the Congress 
declaring the United Colonies free and independent States." 

On the 28th of June the Committee of Congress submitted to that 
body their draft of the Declaration of Independence. It was necessarily 
permitted to lie over. 

The day fixed for final action upon the momentous question itself, 
the first of July, now rapidly approached. 

The constituted authorities of Pennsylvania had, as we witnessed, 
withdrawn their restrictive instructions, to enable their representatives 
to concur in the voice of the majority of the colonies. This fact, to- 
gether with the expression of the popular will indorsing and empha- 
sizing the action of their representatives, was laid before Congress. 

Delaware, on 14th June, also had taken parallel action with Penn- 
sylvania. 

New Jersey on 21st, and Maryland on 28th June, had specifically 
authorized their delegates to concur in declaring Independence, and 
their action was also laid before Congress. 

The South Carolina delegates had long been left un trammeled, 1 it 

1 William Henry Drayton, President of the Provincial Assembly of South Caro- 
lina, in February, 1776, was desired to thank the returned delegates, Middleton, 
Gadsden, and John Rutledge, for their action in Congress. 

"It became your business to ascertain the rights of America . ... to make 
humble representations to the King for redress, and he being deaf to the cries of his 
American subjects, to appeal to the King of kings for the recovery of the rights of 
an infant people, by the Majesty of Heaven, formed for future empire, .... what- 
ever may be the issue of this unlooked-for defensive civil war in which unfortu- 



THE INITIATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 99 

being discretionary with the majority, or even a single delegate (should 
he alone be present), to concert, agree to, and execute every measure 
which they or he, together with a majority of the Continental Con- 
gress, should judge necessary for the defence, security, interest, or 
welfare of South Carolina in particular or America in general. 

New York, alone, remained unresponsive. Her restrictive instruc- 
tions were still unrepealed. The New York Provincial Congress, on 
motion of John Jay, unanimously resolved that the people of that 
province had not given authority, either to that Congress or to the 
delegates to the Continental Congress, to declare independency of 
Great Britain ; and therefore they appealed to all the freeholders to 
give instructions at the ensuing election to their deputies, and to vest 
them with authority in the premises. At this time George Clinton, 
Henry Wisner, William Floyd, Francis Lewis, and John Alsop, 1 were 
actually present in Congress. The last mentioned was decidedly op- 
posed to the measure, while Mr. Wisner was as earnestly in its favor, 
but he himself tells us that he had received the instructions of his 
constituents (not to concur in declaring independency), and that he 
would faithfully pursue them. 

Thus stood affairs, when, on the first day of July, Congress again 
resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole to take into considera- 
tion the " Resolution respecting Independency," the declaration itself 
being referred to the same body. 

" After some time the President resumed the chair, and Mr. Harri- 
son reported that the Committee had come to a resolution which they 
desired here to report, and to move for leave to sit again." 

It appears that in the Committee of the Whole, in addition to those 
States so voting previously, the delegates from New Jersey and from 
Maryland had given their voices in favor of, while the Pennsylvania and 

nately, though gloriously, we are engaged, — whether independence or slavery, — 
all the blood and all the guilt must be imputed to British and not to American coun- 
sels." 

A few days subsequently the new and liberal instructions were given the delegates, 
as stated in the text. 

1 Fac-simile signatures of two of these delegates are given, since they are not 
affixed to the engrossed Declaration. 




s 





100 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 



South*Carolina vote had been given adversely to, the Resolution. 1 The 
vote of Delaware was lost, owing to the difference of views held by the 
only two members in attendance, Messrs. McKean and Read. The 
New York delegates asked, and obtained, permission to withdraw from 
the vote. " At the request of a Colony, the determination of the 
Resolution was put off till the next day," Mr. Rutledge, it is said, 
stating that he believed his colleagues, though they disapproved of the 
Resolution, would join for the sake of unanimity. Mr. McKean un- 
doubtedly promised the attendance of a third delegate to give the 
casting vote of his State. 
Thus stands the record : — 

"Tuesday, July 2d, 1776. 

"The Congress resumed the consideration of the Resolution 
reported from the committee of the whole, which was agreed to 
AS follows: 

"Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to 
be, Free and Independent States; that they are absolved from all 
allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connec- 
tion BETWEEN THEM, AND THE STATE OF GREAT-BRITAIN, IS AND OUGHT 
TO BE TOTALLY DISSOLVED." 

South Carolina, as well as Pennsylvania, and Delaware too, now 
added their voices to the will of the majority of the Colonies. Thus, 
on the second day of July, every State, except New York, concurred 
in the Virginia motion, and resolved themselves 

FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES. 



1 Among those participating in this vote were John Dickinson, Thomas Willing, 
Charles Humphreys, and John Rogers. As they were not members of Congress 
when the Declaration was signed, their fac-simile signatures are herewith presented. 



^nA^n^, (&J#«~j«Z 




THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 101 

The Record of July 2d, further reads : — 

"Agreeable to the order of the day, the Congress resolved 
itself into a commitee of the whole; and after some time, the 

PRESIDENT RESUMED THE CHAIR, AND Mr. HARRISON REPORTED, THAT THE 
COMMITTEE HAVE HAD UNDER CONSIDERATION THE DECLARATION TO THEM 
REFERRED, BUT NOT HAVING HAD TIME TO GO THROUGH THE SAME, DESIRED 
HTM TO MOVE FOR LEAVE TO SIT AGAIN : 

" Resolved, That this Congress will to-morrow again resolve it- 
self INTO A COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, TO TAKE INTO THEIR FARTHER 
CONSIDERATION THE DECLARATION RESPECTING INDEPENDANCE." 

Thus not only during the rest of the second day, but the whole of 
the third and of the fourth, in Committee of the Whole, was the Dec- 
laration, in explanation of their action, debated paragraph by para- 
graph. 1 Late in the evening of the fourth it was finally passed, and 
ordered to be engrossed for the signatures of the Delegates from the 
various States. 

It was not, however, till the next day that the official promulgation 
of Independence was ordered by the President of Congress. 2 

Congress sat, as was the custom with deliberative bodies at that day, 
with closed doors, its members pledged to secresy. So important a step 

1 It is related that its author was discovered by Dr. Franklin " writhing under " 
the alterations. Whereupon he related an incident of his own early days, the case 
of one of his companions, who, having served out his time as an apprentice to a 
hatter, was about to open shop for himself, and desired a handsome sign board with 
an appropriate inscription. "He composed it in these words: 'John Thompson, 
Hatter, makes and sells Hats for ready money,' with a figure of a hat subjoined. 
But he thought he would submit it to his friends for their amendments. The first 
he showed it to thought the word Hatter tautologous, because followed by the words 
makes hats, which showed he was a hatter. It was struck out. The next observed 
that the word males might as well be omitted, because his customers would not 
care who made the hats ; if good and to their mind, they would buy, by whom- 
soever made. He struck it out. A third said he thought the words for ready 
money were useless, as it was not the custom of the place to sell on credit. Every 
one who purchased expected to pay. They were parted with, and the inscription 
now stood, ' John Thompson sells hats.' ' Sells hats! ! ' says his next friend, ' why, 
nobody will expect you to give them away. What, then, is the use of that word? ' 
It was stricken out, and hats was stricken out, the rather as there was one painted 
on the board. So his inscription was reduced ultimately to ' John Thompson,' with 
the figure of a hat subjoined." 

2 So many misconceptions, so many misstatements, have been made as to the 
time, place, and circumstances of promulgating the Declaration of Independence as 
to make it important to bear the actual facts in mind. The absurd stories of a blue- 
eyed boy and of the immense crowd besieging the doors of Congi-ess on the 4th of 
July, and of the reading of Declaration by Charles Thomson, the Secretary of Con- 
gress, from the steps or balcony of the State House, are pure inventions. 



102 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

as a severance of the ties which connected the Colonies with the 
mother country could not have been agitated and acted upon, without 
admitting the general public into a knowledge of the fact, apart from 
which, it was wished and indeeol designed, as has been already shown, 
to predicate the action of the federal Congress upon the expressed 
wishes of the individual colonies. 

In the correspondence of the day, accordingly, the members did not 
preserve their usual reticence ; they did not hesitate in their familiar 
letters, in June, to foretell the event, nor immediately after the debate 
and vote of the second day of July — the really important day — to 
announce the fact, as the most memorable epoch in the history of 
America, a day to be celebrated throughout all time. 

It was not until July 4th, the day of the final adoption of the Dec- 
laration itself, that any action was taken to authorize the public an- 
nouncement. On that day it was formally " Resolved, that copies of 
the Declaration be sent to the several assemblies, conventions, and 
committees or councils of safety, and to the several commanding offi- 
cers of the Continental troops ; that it be proclaimed in each of the 
United States and at the head of the army." 

Printed copies were at once prepared, promptly signed by John 
Hancock as President, and attested by Charles Thomson as Secretary. 
These were transmitted in accordance with the resolution. 

In this form, it was laid before the Committee of Safety in Phila- 
delphia, who, besides directing copies to be sent to the other counties 
of the State, ordered, " That the Sheriff of Philadelphia read or cause 
to be read and proclaimed at the State House, in the cit}^ of Philadel- 
phia, on Monday the 8th day of July instant, at 12 o'clock at noon of 
this same day, the Declaration of the Representatives of the United 
States of America, and that he cause all his officers and the constables 
of the said city to attend the reading thereof. 

" Resolved, that every member of this Committee in or near the city 
be ordered to meet at the committee chamber before 12 o'clock Mon- 
day, to proceed to the State House, where the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence is to be proclaimed." 

The Committee of Inspection of the City and Liberties were re- 
quested to attend. 

July 8, 1776, broke " a warm, sunshiny morning." The Committee 
of Inspection assembled at the Philosophical Hall * at eleven o'clock, 
thence in procession proceeding to the Lodge, they were joined by the 

1 Not their building on the Square, which it must be remembered was not built for 
twelve years afterwards, but in Second Street. 




The portrait ok John Nixon. 



THE PROMULGATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 103 

Committee of Safety ; they then marched to the State House Yard 
and collected about the Observatory. The constituted authorities, in- 
cluding a number of the Delegates in Congress, filed out from the rear 
entrance to do honor to the occasion. John Nixon, a prominent mem- 
ber of the Committee of Safety, stood on the balcony or platform of 
the Observatory, the popular rostrum of the day, and, in a voice clear 
and distinct enough to be heard on the opposite side of Fifth Street, 
read aloud to the people, for the first time, the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. 1 

The vast concourse of people greeted it by loud cheers and re- 
peated huzzas. 

The royal insignia over the judges' seats were taken down and 
burnt, then the crowd left the square to exhibit, in other congenial 
ways in different parts of the city, their contempt for the King and 
his authority ; assembling again at five o'clock in the afternoon on the 
c«mmon to listen to the proclamation to the troops and to join in bon- 
fires, impromptu fire-works, and other demonstrations of joy. The 
night was star-light and beautiful. 

The old State House Bell made its Biblical quotation intelligible to 
every ear. For a quarter of a century its familiar tones had been the 
signal for assembling the liegemen of a foreign potentate 2 ; to-day it 
called together a sovereign people only to dismiss them with the bene- 
diction, all men are born free and independent? 

1 A printed broadside of the Declaration found among the papers of John Nixon, 
possibly the identical sheet from which he then read, has been deposited in Inde- 
pendence Hall by his great grand-daughter, Mrs. Charles Henry Hart. 

2 In early days " those members who do not appear within half an hour after the 
ringing of the bell and the speaker assuming the chair shall pay a ten penny bit," 
etc., and again '• those members who do not appear within half an hour after the As- 
sembly bell ceases to ring shall pay one shilling." 

8 Even the bells of Christ Church joined in the chorus as merrily, aye and as 
steadily, as if the Rev. Jacob Duche, its Pastor, had that day espoused the patriot 
cause. In this gentleman's subsequent and famous letter to Washington, he states, 
that he persisted in using the public prayer for his sovereign and the royal family 
till the latest moment, though threatened with insults from the violence of a party; 
but that on the Declaration of Independence, not being able to consult his spiritual 
superior, he called his vestry together and solemnly put the question, whether 
they thought it best for the peace and welfare of the congregations (of St. Peters 
as well as Christ Church) to shut up the churches, or to continue the services, with- 
out using the petitions for the royal family." 

The Minute Books, still extant in the careful custody of the Rev. Edward A. 
Foggo, the present (1870) Rector, under the prompt date of July 4, 17 76, show that 
their religious observances conformed to their public action in "chiming the 
chimers," though apparently to the surprise of Mr. John Adams. The Entry is — 



104 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Thus was fulfilled that portion of the text inscribed upon its surface, 
and which has been celebrated in prose and in verse. Whether a 
" coincidence " only, or whether an inspiration induced Mr. Speaker 
Norris thus, twenty-four years before, to baptize his State House 
Bell, would seem a mere choice of words, determinable by one's 
stand-point, but certain it is, that the Divine command, to which 
reference is made upon the bell, is, as we write, about to be obeyed 
to the letter : — 

" And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim 
liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants 
thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you." — Lev. xxv. 10. 

Such in full are the words of Holy Writ, such the Handwriting on 
the Wall. 

We consult the oldest inhabitant, we scan the records of the day 
in vain, for any especial notice of the first fiftieth birth-day of the 
Nation; 1 but the second, its golden anniversary, is about to be a 
" Jubilee " unto us and unto all men. 

Honor be to that man who made the first move, whether he be 
familiar with the Scriptural injunction, or the unconscious instrument 
in the hands of his Maker. 

For full fifty years, as nearly as can be ascertained, our Liberty 
Bell — for so it should be universally denominated — continued to 
celebrate every national anniversary, and then — it cracked, it had 
performed its mission and was mute forever. 2 

Its vicissitudes had, however, been many ; when the American 

" Present Rev. Jacob Duehe, Rector; Thos. Cuthbert, Church Warden; Jacob 
Duche, Robt. Whyte, Cbas. Stedman, Edmund Physick, James Biddle, Peter 
le Haven, Jas. Reynolds, Gerardus Clarkson, Vestry men. 

"Whereas, the Hon. Continental Congress have resolved to declare the American 
Colonies to be free and independent states: In consequence of which it will be 
proper to omit those Petitions in the Liturgy where the King of Great Britain is 
prayed for, as inconsistent with the said declaration, therefore Resolved, that it ap- 
pears to this vestry to be necessary for the peace and well l)ein^ of the Cburches to 
omit the said Petitions; and the Rectors and Assistant Ministers of the united 
churches are requested in the name of the vestry and their constituents to omit such 
petitions as are above mentioned." 

1 We should not fail to recall, however, the remarkable coincidence that occurred 
on this day. The only two surviving signers of the Declaration who voted upon its 
adoption, — Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, — lived just long enough to ccle- 
brate it, and died July 4, 1826, within a few hours of each other. 

2 The personal statement made, while these pages are going through the press, 
by the venerable Titian R. Pealc, shows conclusively that Liberty Bell was cracked 
in tolling, July 8, 1835, for the death of John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United 
States. 




The Liberty Bell. 



1 It 




4-fcV* 

i*^ 



4? 

mm 



^4 




Ml 



THE DECLARATION MADE UNANIMOUS. 105 

forces, in 1777, were about to leave Philadelphia, the Bell (and the 
chimes of Christ Church, its coadjutors in announcing Independence, 
shared its fortunes) was taken down by the Commissary and trans- 
ported to Allentown * to prevent its falling into the hands of the 
British, who were then about to occupy the city. Though brought 
back to town after the evacuation, it does not seem to have been re- 
stored to its original place in the old steeple. 

On the fifteenth day of July the President received and laid before 
Congress a resolution, unanimously adopted by " the convention of 
the representatives of the State of New York," dated July 9th, 1770, 
from White Plains, " That the reasons assigned by the Continental 
Congress for declaring the United Colonies free and independent 
States are cogent and conclusive, and that while we lament the cruel 
necessity which has rendered that measure unavoidable, we approve 
tl^e same, and will at the risk of our lives and fortunes join with the 
other colonies in supporting it." 

Thus the chain became complete, and instructions were now given 
to the engrossing clerk to alter the heading of the Declaration of In- 
dependence, as the draft read (and as adopted by Congress, and as 
was actually proclaimed to the people on the 8th day of July), by the 
insertion of the words " The unanimous." 

It was not, however, and this is a fact too often lost sight of, until 
the second day of August that the Declaration of Independence, en- 
grossed on parchment, was brought into the Chamber of Congress and 
placed upon the President's table for the signatures of the individual 
members. 

All those actually present on that day, affixed their names, and 

1 September 15, 1777. By order of the Executive Council, the bells of Christ 
Church (seven in number) as well as those of St. Peter's (two in number) were 
ordered to be taken down and removed to a place of safety, in anticipation of 
General Howe taking possession of Philadelphia. Tins was upon the recommenda- 
tion of Congress. The church wardens and vestry very seriously objected, on 
hearing what was about to be done, and they tried, through John Penn, to induce 
Congress to make an exception in favor of the church bells on account of the great 
risk in taking them down, the improbability of having a proper person to replace 
them, and a feeling on the part of the vestry that they were really in no danger; 
and receiving the reply that Congress had but recommended the measure, they then 
applied to the Executive Council, but without success, and Colonel Flower accord- 
ingly removed them. He, however, in October, 1778, replaced them at the public 
expense. 

In passing through the streets of Bethlehem, the wagon containing the State 
House Bell broke down, and had to be unloaded. 



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106 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE II ALL. 

many were thus included who had no share in debating or voting upon 
the document. It was then turned over to Charles Thomson, the 
secretary ; and, as each new member joined his colleagues, he was 
called upon to sign. Thus will be found the names, in some instances, 
of Representatives who were not concurrently in Congress. 

The change of title from " A Declaration by the Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled," into " The 
Unanimous Declaration,"' etc., has produced much needless confusion, 
and even misrepresentation. 

Before the expiration of the week in which Independence was pro- 
claimed, the convention to form a constitution for the new State of 
Pennsylvania assembled in the State House. The Judicial Chamber, 
opposite that of Independence, seems to have been appropriated for its 
sessions. It met July 15, and continued in session until September 
28, 1776. 

Shortly after its organization, it unanimously approved the reso- 
lution declaring Pennsylvania, as well as the other United States of 
America, free and independent, and avowed " before God and the 
world, that we will support and maintain the freedom and independ- 
ence of this and the other United States of America, at the utmost 
risk of our lives and fortunes." 

The Convention did not hesitate to assume the legislative functions 
required by the call. On the 20th day of July they elected delegates 
to Congress, fixed the number at nine, and authorized a majority, at 
any time present, to be a quorum. They reelected Messrs. Franklin, 
Robert Morris, and Wilson ; and superseded Messrs. Dickinson, Wil- 
ling, Humphreys, Biddle, and Allen, by George Ross, George Clymer, 
James Smith (three of their own members), Benjamin Rush, and 
George Taylor. Thus was constituted the delegation who officially 
signed the Declaration of Independence on behalf of Pennsylvania. 

The Convention finally, on 28th September, " unanimously passed 
and confirmed " a declaration of rights and a frame of government for 
the Commonwealth. These served as the fundamental law, success- 
fully ruling the State throughout the whole of the Revolutionary 
Struggle. 

The Executive, vested in a President and Council, and the Leg- 
islature, in a single House of Representatives, were, at the first, 
both accommodated in the chambers of the second story of the State 
Hoitse. 

The Assembly met for the first time on the 28th November, 1776. 



EVACUATION OF PHILADELPHIA. 107 

The character of its members seems to have been essentially changed, 
and we find it entered of record, " A quorum did not appear, in conse- 
quence of the absence of the members in the army." 1 This was from 
December 14, 1776, to January 13, 1777, when the House again met, 
and sat till 21st March, and again from May 12 to June 19, — without 
a quorum, however, from 12th to 21st May, — and from September 3d 
to 18th, — without a quorum for ten days. On the 18th September, 
an account having been received " that the enemy's army were in full 
march for this city, it was agreed that the General Assembly should 
adjourn to the borough of Lancaster, to meet there on 25th Septem- 
ber." 2 

Congress had, upon similar apprehensions, left Philadelphia at the 
close of December, 1776, but had promptly returned, and reconvened 
in its chamber March 4, 1777. 3 

Now, hoAvever, their apprehensions were well founded ; they hur- 
ried away in the night of September 18, upon the actual approach of 
&e British. After one meeting (27th September), at Lancaster, they 
adjourned to York, Pennsylvania, and sat there from 30th September, 
1777, till June 27, 1778. 

The British held possession of Philadelphia from September 26, 
1777, till 18th June following. 

During their occupation of the city under General Howe, the State 
House was used as a prison and hospital. It was here, that the so- 
called " arch fiend " Cunningham, the Provost Marshal, exercised his 
atrocities. This man had deserted from the American to the British 
employ, and some of the prisoners who escaped from his clutches stated 
to Francis Hopkinson that they had actually seen bodies of their fel- 
low sufferers lying in the State House Yard, who had died of mere 
famine, with unchewed grass hanging out of their mouths. They re- 
ported that a bucket full of broth had been sent, by some citizens, to 
the prisoners confined in the provost ; that Cunningham had taken it 
into the State House Yard, and when the starving victims had gathered 
eagerly around it, he kicked over the bucket with his foot, and then 

1 In the year preceding, we are told by Mr. Young, in a letter to Mrs. Fergusson, 
of Grasme Park, " Our Honorable House made but a scurvy appearance the day the 
memorial was presented to them by the Committees, it was enough to make one 
sweat to see a parcel of Countrymen sitting with their hats on, great coarse cloth 
coats, Leather breeches, and woollen stockings in the mouth of July ; there was 
not a speech made the whole time, whether their silence proceeded from their mod- 
esty or from their inability to speak, I know not." MS. 

2 It sat at Lancaster, September 29 to October 13, 1777. 

3 They met in Baltimore from December 20, 1776, to February 27, 1777. 



108 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

laughed to see them, prostrate on the ground, lap up the slop like 
dogs. 

Congress returned to their chamber in the State House on 2d July, 
177 s . Shortly after, took place the ceremonial reception of the 
Chevalier Conrad Alexandre Gerard, the first minister accredited to 
the United States from any foreign power. Much formality was 
hence given to it. M. Gerard had reached Philadelphia early in July, 
but it was not until 6th August that, escorted by Richard Henry Lee 
and Samuel Adams, in a chariot and six horses, he delivered personally 
his credentials. " The carriages being arrived at the State House,'' 
says a looker-on. '.' the two members of Congress, placing themselves 
at the Minister's left hand, introduced him to his chair in the Con- 
gress Chamber, the President and Congress sitting: the chair was 
placed, fronting the President. The Minister, being' seated, handed 
his credentials to his Secretary, who advanced and delivered them to 
the President. Henry Laurens. The Secretary of Congress, Charles 
Thomson, then read and translated them, which being done, Mr. Lee 
announced The Minister to the President and Congress : at this time 
the President, the Congress, and the Minister rose together: he bowed 
to the President and Congress, and they bowed to him, whereupon 
the whole seated themselves." After a speech by the Minister, and 
another by the President, and an interchange of copies thereof, mutual 
ceremonial bows as before, the Minister retired. 

The description given of the sitting oi Congress at this time affords 
us the best idea of their habits. " Within the bar of the House, the 
Congress formed a semicircle, on each side of the President, and the 
Minister : the President, sitting at one extremity of the circle, at a 
table upon a platform, elevated two steps, the Minister sitting, at the 
opposite extremity of the circle, in an arm-chair upon the same level 
with the Congress." The door of the Congress Chamber was on this 
occasion thrown open, and without the Bar were admitted, to the audi- 
ence, the Vice President of the Supreme Executive Council of the 
State, the Speaker and the Assembly of Pennsylvania, foreigners of 
distinction, and officers of the army. 

The newspapers of the day exclaim : " Thus has a new and noble 
siu,ht been exhibited in this New World — the Representatives of the 
United States of America, solemnly giving public audience to a min- 
ister plenipotentiary from the most powerful prince in Europe. Four 
years ago such an event, at so near a day. was not in the view even of 
imagination : but it is the Almighty who raiseth up ; He hath sta- 
tioned America among the powers of the earth, and clothed her in 
robes of sovereignty." 



ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION. 109 

Upon the ninth day of July, 1778, and in "the 3d year of the Inde- 
pendence of America," the " Articles of Confederation and Perpetual 
Union " between the United States of America had been signed in 
this same chamber, by the delegates in Congress of eight States, but 
it was not to be binding, until ratified by the whole thirteen. 

The Resolution of 7th June, 1776, included a provision for " a 
plan of confederation," and a Committee was appointed on the 12th 
to prepare a draft therefor. This Committee consisted of Josiah 
Bartlett, Samuel Adams, Stephen Hopkins, Roger Sherman, Robert 
R. Livingston, John Dickinson, Thomas McKean, Thomas Stone, 
Thomas Nelson, Jr., Joseph Hewes, Edward Rutledge, and Button 
Gwinnett, — a Representative from each State. 

John Dickinson was the mouth-piece of this eminent Committee, and 
reported, as early as July 12, 1776 ; but so many conflicting inter- 
ests were to be compromised, and such diversity of sentiment recon- 
c ciled, that it was not until March 1, 1781, that the final ratification 
took place. 1 

The following members were signers of the Articles of Confedera- 
tion on the part and behalf of the State of — 

New Hampshire. 
Josiah Bartlett. John Wentworth, Jr. 

Massachusetts. 

John Hancock. Francis Dana. 

Samuel Adams. James Lovell. 

Elbridge Gerrv. Samuel Holtf.n. 

Rhode Island. 

William Ellery. John Collins. 

Henry Marchant. 

Connecticut . 

Roger Sherman. Titus Hosmer. 

Samuel Huntington. Andrew Adam. 

Oliver Wolcott. 

1 " The eight states " were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Con- 
necticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina. North Carolina 
ratified "The Articles of Confederation" on 21st July, Georgia on 24th, New 
Jersey on 2Gth Novcmher, Delaware on 5th May, 1779, and Maryland on 1st March, 
1781. 



110 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

New York. 
James Duane. William Duer. 

Francis Lewis. Gouverneur Morris. 

New Jersey. 
John Witherspoon. Nathaniel Scudder, 

Pennsylvania. 
Robert Morris. William Clingan. 

Daniel Roberdeau. Joseph Reed. 

Jonathan Bayard Smith. 

Delaware. 
Thomas McKean. Nicholas Van Dyke. 

John Dickinson. 

Maryland. 
John Hanson. Daniel Carroll. 

Virginia. 
Richard Henry Lee. John Harvie. 

John Bannister. Francis Lighteoot Lee. 

Thomas Adams. 

North Carolina. 
John Penn. John Williams. 

Cornelius Harnett. 

South Carolina. 
Henry Laurens. Richard Hutson. 

William Henry Drayton. Thomas Heyward, Jr. 

John Matthews. 

Georgia. 
John Walton. Edward Lanowortht. 

Edward Telfair. 

The form of government remained unchanged, but the powers of 
Congress — still consisting of one body — and of the respective States, 
were better defined ; while its defects were many, it is stated to have 
been " of extended benefit ; to have met the pressing wants of the 
Union and thus strengthened it. It conferred a great educational ser- 
vice through the experience of its defects, and it carried the nation 
along until a more efficient system was provided. No less an author- 



CONGRESS LEAVES PHILADELPHIA. Ill 

ity than Chief Justice Marshall has declared that " this service alone 
entitles that instrument to the respectful recollections of the American 
people and its FRAMERS to their gratitude." 

Thus not only was the Declaration of Independence debated and 
signed within the walls of our chamber, but so, also, the next step in 
the history of the Union was herein taken, and, as we shall presently 
see, herein too that union made more perfect by the framing and sign- 
ing of the Constitution of the United States itself. Throughout the 
residue of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress continued 
to hold its sessions and to debate every question of legislative im- 
portance in Independence Chamber. 

The closing scene of the Revolution, the surrender of Cornwallis, is 
brought into direct association from the fact, that the British and Hes- 
sian regimental flags, captured at Yorktown, twenty-four in number, 
were, according to the newspapers of the day " received by volunteer 
^cavalry at the Schuylkill, paraded through the streets preceded by the 
American and French colors at a proper distance, and at the State 
Souse, the hostile standards were there laid at the feet of Congress 
and of his excellency the Ambassador of France." This took place 
on 3d November, 1781. 

Thus almost every event was more or less chronicled within the 
walls of our State House, from the time of its first occupancy, inde- 
pendent of the important scenes in the great historical drama at- 
tempted to be recalled. 

" All of a sudden Congress left Philadelphia, in the summer of 
1783," — such is the last record given. The cause of their abrupt de- 
parture, this time, was not a foreign foe, but the apparent apprehension 
of revolt on the part of their own soldiers, whose payment had been 
some time delayed. 

On Saturday, 21st June, 1783, when the Supreme Executive Coun- 
cil was sitting, a handful of soldiers from the barracks brought a threat- 
ening message to the State Executive, requiring permission to appoint 
commissioned officers over themselves, that they might obtain " redress 
of grievances." The Council at once refused to consider their appli- 
cation. The soldiers, in the mean time, had increased in numbers to 
upwards of three hundred, who paraded before the State House, while 
fifteen or twenty posted themselves in the yard ; they stationed osten- 
sible guards at the doors of the State House, which, however, denied 
ingress or egress in reality to none. The Council remained firm, and 
authorized General St. Clair, who promptly repaired to the spot, to 
allay the irritation by a conference with the insurgents. 



112 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Congress had adjourned over, as usual, from Friday to Monday, but 
the President and some members collected in their chamber, and while 
they assented to the conference, seem informally to have made up 
their minds " that there is not a satisfactory ground for expecting 
adequate and prompt exertions of this State for supporting the dig- 
nity of the Federal Government," and in such case, under advice, etc., 
they authorized and directed the President to summon the members 
of Congress to meet, at Trenton, or Princeton. 

It is stated that the President, Elias Boudinot, was personally 
stopped in the street, but that some of the leaders at once rebuked 
their followers for so doing, and apologized for the act. 

Nevertheless, this emeute resulted in the adjournment of Congress 
to Princeton, where they met on 30th June, and there they remained 
until November 4th, meeting on 26th November, 1783, at Annapolis, 
in Maryland. 1 They continued at that place till June 3, 1784, and 
during this time received the resignation of the commander-in-chief of 
their armies. Their next session was held at Trenton, November 1, 
1784, to December 24, whence they adjourned and met in New York, 
January 11, 1785, and there they finally dissolved in 1789. 

In the mean time, efforts were promptly made in the summer of 
1783, by the State Government, to bring back Congress to Philadel- 
phia ; every possible guarantee of security was offered for their safe 
and honorable sojourn, in Philadelphia, if they would return, and 
the State even evinced a willingness to grant to national authority all 
jurisdiction that might be deemed necessary. 

Some of their own members endeavored to induce the return of Con- 
gress, even temporarily, to Philadelphia, but in vain. Still the Assem- 
bly do not appear to have given up the hope of it. The Congressional 
Chamber seems still to have been reserved for their contingent use 
for several years, after its actual abandonment by Congress. 

Among the visitors to Congress, ere they left the State House, was 
the Marquis de Chastellux, in 1780, who has left us an account of his 
impressions : — 

" The Hall in which Congress assembles is spacious, without magnificence ; 

1 It was at first resolved that Congress should meet at ttco places — alternating — 
one on the Potomac and the other on the Delaware. This gave rise to a sarcastic 
effusion from the pen of Francis Hopkinson, wherein he aimed to determine the curve 
and oscillation of what he called " this political bob," though concluding that in 
this instance the rule of gravitation would he reversed, since the bob would be more 
inclined to motion in proportion as the matter of which it was composed should be 
more dull and heavy. 



VISIT OF DE CHASTELLUX. 113 

its handsomest ornament is the portrait of General Washington, larger than 
life. He is on foot, in that noble and easy attitude which is natural to hi in ; 
Cannon, Colours, and all the attributes of war form the accessories of the picture. 
[This was Charles Wilson Peale's portrait of Washington after the battle of 
Princeton.] I was then conducted into the Secretary's hall, which has nothing 
remarkable but the manner in which it is furnished ; the Colours taken from 
the enemy serve by way of tapestry. From thence you pass to the [Assembly] 
library, which is pretty large, but far from being filled ; the few books it is 
composed of appear to be well chosen. 

" The building is rather handsome ; the staircase in particular is wide and 
noble ; as to external ornaments, they consist only in the decoration of the 
gate, and in several tablets of marble placed above the windows. I remarked 
a peculiarity in the roof which appeared new to me: the chimneys are bound 
to the two extremities of the building, which is a long square, and are so con- 
structed as to be fastened together in the form of an arch, thus forming a sort 
of portico." 
C 

The constituted authorities of Pennsylvania also returned to their 
old quarters in the State House, immediately upon the evacuation by 
the British. 

The Assembly, which, it must be remembered, still consisted of a 
single body, met again in their chamber, up stairs, on the 26th Octo- 
ber, 1778. 

They retained this room, for their sittings, for some ten years, but 
seem to have moved down stairs into the old Judicial (western) 
Chamber, opposite to that still occupied by Congress, about 1780, or 
1781, and, as far as can be learned, continued their sessions herein till 
1790. 

M. de Chastellux, whose account of his visit to Congress has already 
been cited, " went again to the State House with M. de La Fayette, 
Cte. de Noailles, De Damas, M. de Griraat, etc., to be present at the 
Assembly of the State. We seated ourselves on a bench opposite the 
Speaker's chair ; on his right was the President of the State ; the 
clerks were placed at a long table before the Speaker. The Executive 
Council was sent for and heard." 

It was also during their occupancy of this Judicial Chamber that 
the " act for regulating party walls " was debated, in which was intro- 
duced a clause (though subsequently repealed), requiring the destruc- 
tion of all the trees, on certain streets throughout the city. 

It was on 12th April, 1782, " when," says Francis Hopkinson, " to 
the amazement of all present, the business was interrupted by a voice, 
perfectly articulate, proceeding from the capital of one of the columns 



114 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

which supported the ceiling of the room. This voice claimed a right 
to be heard on the subject of the bill, then before the House. 

After the first surprise at such an unusual prodigy had a little sub- 
sided, the right of a column to interfere in the business of the House 
was considered and objected to ; and it was urged, that no instance 
had ever occurred where a wooden member — a Blockhead — had pre- 
sumed to speak in that Assembly ; that this column could, by no con- 
struction of law, be admitted as the Representative of any part or 
district of Pennsylvania, having never been ballotted for, elected, or 
returned, as a member of Assembly. That the House, when fully 
met, necessarily consisted of a certain number of members, and no 
more, and that this number is full and complete, by the returns from 
the several counties, as appears by the records of the House ; there- 
fore, if this column should be allowed a voice, there must be a super- 
numerary member somewhere, which would be an absolute violation 
of the Constitution. And lastly, that it is contrary to the order of 
nature that an inanimate log should interfere in the affairs of rational 
beings, Providence having been pleased to distinguish so obviously 
between men and things. 

To all this the column firmly replied, that he was, properly speak- 
ing, a standing member of that House, having been duly fixed in his 
station by those who had the right and power to place him there ; 
that he was the true Representative of a numerous race, descended in 
a direct line from the Aborigines of this country, those- venerable an- 
cestors who gave the name of Penn-SYLVANIA to this State, and whose 
posterity now inhabit every county in it ; that he was not only a 
member of the House, but one of its principal Supporters, inasmuch 
as they could never " make a house :1 without him ; that he had 
faithfully attended the public business, having never been fined as an 
absentee, and that those very membei's who now opposed him had 
confided in his wisdom and integrity, by constantly appealing to him l 
in every contest about the rules and internal economy of the House ; 
and, lastly, that, as the bill under consideration so nearly concerned 
his fellow creatures, and as he found himself miraculously endowed 
with the power of speech for this occasion, he was determined to make 
use of it in behalf of those who could not speak for themselves. After 
much debate, it was determined that the House would hear what this 
importunate Post had to say respecting the bill before them, but per- 
emptorily refused to allow him a vote on this or any other business in 
that Assembly. 

1 The Rules of the House were framed and hung up against one of the columns. 



SPEECH BY A "STANDING MEMBER." 115 

The columnar orator, having obtained leave, addressed the House 
in the following words : — 

" I am happy, O fellow-citizens, that speech hath been given me 
on this important occasion ; and that I have your permission to exer- 
cise a power, thus wonderfully obtained, in the cause of truth and jus- 
tice. 

" I stand here this day an upright advocate for injured innocence. 
What fury, what madness, O deluded senators ! hath induced you 
to propose the extirpation of those to whom you are indebted for so 
many of the elegancies, comforts, and blessings of life ? If the voice 
of justice is not to be regarded within these walls, let your own inter- 
ests influence your conduct on this occasion. For I hope to show that 
your safety and happiness are much more deeply concerned, in the 
business you are upon, than you are at present aware of. 

" By the 12th section of the bill now depending, it is proposed to cut 
«down and remove all the trees standing in the streets, lanes, or alleys 
of this city. What ! do we then hold our lives on such an uncertain 
tenure ? Shall the respectable and inoffensive inhabitants of this city 
stand or fall according to the caprice of a few ignorant petitioners? 
And will this House, without remorse, without even the form of trial, 
give its sanction to an edict, which hath not a parallel since the san- 
guinary days of Herod of Jewry ? But I hope to convince this hon- 
orable House that trees, as well as men, are capable of enjoying the 
rights of citizenship, and therefore ought to be protected in those 
rights ; that, having committed no offense, this arbitrary edict cannot 
constitutionally pass against them, and that your own, and the welfare 
of your constituents, is nearly concerned in their preservation and cul- 
ture. 

" In reply to the charge that the trees are not well affected to the 
present government, because they remained with the enemy when 
they had possession of the city, I would ask, Will any one pretend to 
say that the leaving or not leaving the city, on the approach of the 
enemy, marks the true line of distinction between Whig and Tory ? It 
is confessed that we remained when others tied ; we stood our ground 
and heroically suffered in our country's cause. Turn, worthy sena- 
tors ! turn your eyes to yonder fields ! Look towards the banks of 
the Schuylkill ! Where are now those venerable oaks, that o'er the 
evening walk of sober citizen, of musing bard, of sportive youths, and 
sighing nymphs and swains, were wont to spread their hospitable 
shade ? Alas ! nought now remains but lifeless stumps, that moulder 
in the summer's heat and winter's frost, the habitations fit of poison- 



116 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

ous fungi, toads, and ever-gnawing worms. Sine illce lachrymce ! 
These were thy feats, O Howe ! 

" Excuse, great sirs, this weakness in a Post, or rather, join your 
sympathetic tears with mine; the loss is yours — a loss, the impor- 
tance of which you have not, perhaps, duly considered. * * * * 

" It is now many years since I lost my vegetable life by the fatal axe, 
my skin was stript off, and my limbs lopt away — and yet, you see my 
body is still of use, and I stand here^rm, sound, and hearty. And 
barring an accident from all consuming fires, I shall attend future de- 
bates in this house, when those whom I have the honor now to address 
shall be no more." 

These columns undoubtedly did survive all who could have under- 
derstood this speech, for, alas, a succeeding generation, deaf to, or igno- 
rant of, this accost, consigned them to the axe, and selected in their 
stead iron supporters, which, if endowed now with speech, could onty 
tell us of the petty squabbles of a subordinate court-room. Or per- 
chance, they might recount, how they and their confederates, alien alike 
to the sentiments of the Founder of Pennsylvania, as to the blood 
and traditions of our Revolutionary sires, did staunchly oppose and 
attempt to thwart the dedication of this very room as a Museum of 
memorials of patriotic and noble deeds. But they perform the re- 
quired functions, locum tenentes, — et tenentes concilium — their very 
existence ignored, even while yet visible to the eye. 

Under the Constitution of Pennsylvania of 1776, 47th section, a 
provision was made for a Council, to be elected every seven years, 
whose duty it was after organization to investigate, whether the Con- 
stitution in all its parts had been preserved inviolate, and with power 
to call a convention to revise the same, if in their estimation desirable. 

This body was termed the " Council of Censors." It met for the 
first and only time, November 10, 1783, though without a quorum 
until the 13th. Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg was elected its Pres- 
ident, and among its members were Thomas Fitzsimons, Arthur St. 
Clair, Anthony Wayne, William Irvine, and William Findley. 

It unquestionably convened at the State House, but whether in In- 
dependence Chamber, then recently vacated by the Congress, or in the 
Eastern room of the second story, cannot now be told. It sat until 
January 21, 1784, then adjourned to June 1, and remained in session 
until 25th September following. It specifically, and with much ability, 
pointed out various infringements of the Constitution, and of the Bill 
of Rights, and, by a vote of a majority, resolved that the Constitution 



THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. 117 

was defective in various particulars, and recommended changes to cor- 
respond : — 

That the Executive, consisting of President and Council, should be 
superseded by a Governor alone ; 

That the legislative authority should be vested in two bodies in- 
stead of one; 

That the Judiciary, supreme as well as subordinate, 
should be appointed by the governor, during good be- 
HAVIOR ; 

Recommendations which, apparently futile at the time (since a two 
thirds vote was needed), were afterwards and remain now engrafted 
upon the organic law, except the last, which, under the existing prac- 
tice, demands the remedy, then pointed out, even more than did the 
state of affairs under the Constitution of 1776, since under that, the 
judges were dependent every seven years, the period of their election, 
C upon those who were themselves selected by their fellow citizens as 
the most virtuous and most competent for the trust. To-day they 
are dependent from first to last upon the dregs of the people, irre- 
sponsible except to the ward politician. 

May God save the Commonwealth ! 

But Independence Chamber was now, in 1787, again put to national 
use, and by a body of men as distinguished as any that had ever occu- 
pied it, and for purposes scarcely second in importance to the drafting 
the great Magna Charta. 

The Federal Convention to frame a Constitution for the United 
States of America met here May 14, 1787, remaining in session till 
September 17, 1787. 

Its roll of members is its eulogy ; its results are of course known 
verbatim by every school-boy, as well as by every individual over 
twenty-one, black or white, foreign or native to the soil, as a prelim- 
inary to the exercises of voting for President of the United States, or 
for a School Director. 

The chair which Peyton Randolph had occupied, when Thomas 
Johnson of Maryland nominated George Washington to be com- 
mander-in-chief of the American armies, — the chair which John Han- 
cock had occupied, when he attached his official signature as President 
to the proclamation for liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabi- 
tants thereof, — still remained in its accustomed position, and now, on 



118 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

the 14th day of May, 1787, that man who had been the chief instru- 
ment in perfecting the plans initiated in this room, who had proved 
himself " first in war," was called to occupy, as President of this 
Convention, that identical chair, and to make it the stepping-stone to 
the "first in peace." 

Many members of the old Continental Congress resumed their seats 
in this chamber. Several of them had debated the question of sepa- 
ration from Great Britain and signed the Declaration of Independence. 
They now returned to complete their work, and " to secure the bless- 
ings of Liberty to themselves and to their posterity." 

The members who attended were — 

For New Hampshire. 
*John Langdon. *Nicholas Gilman. 

For Massachusetts. 
Elbridge Gerry. *Natiianiel Gorham. 

*Rufus King. Caleb Strong. 

For Connecticut. 
*William Samuel Johnson. Oliver Ellsworth. 

*Roger Sherman. 

For Neiv York. 
Robert Yates. John Lansing. 

*Alexander Hamilton. 

For New Jersey. 
*William Livingston. *William Paterson. 

*David Brearley. *Jonathan Dayton. 

William C. Houston. 

For Pennsylvania. 
*Benjamin Franklin. *Thomas Fitzsimons. 

*Thomas Mifflin. *Jared Ingersoll. 

* Robert Morris. * James Wilson. • 

*George Clymer. *Gouverneur Morris. 

For Delaware. 
*George Read. *Richard Bassett. 

*Gunning Bedford, Jr. *Jacob Broom. 

*John Dickinson. 



THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. 



119 



For Maryland. 
•James Mc Henry. John Francis Mercer. 

*1)aniel Carroll. *Daniel of St. Thomas 

Luther Martin. Jenifer. 



For Virgil 



*George Washington. 
Edmund Randolph. 
*John Blair. 
George Mason. 



George Wythe. 
*James Madison, Jr. 
James McClurg. 



For North Carolina. 

Alexander Martin. *Hugh Williamson. 

William R. Davie. *Richard Dobbs Spaight. 
*William Blount. 

For South Carolina. 

*JOHX RUTLEDGE. *CHARLES PlNCKNEY. 

*CHARLES C. PlNCKNEY. *PlERCE BUTLER. 



For Georgia. 



*William Few. 
♦Abraham Baldwin. 



William Pierce. 
William Houstoun. 



After the final action, and engrossing of the Constitution, those 
members of the Convention who were present and approved, advanced 
by States, and affixed their signatures to the instrument. 2 

In Independence Chamber, also met the State Convention, to take 
action upon the proposed Constitution for the United States. This 
was on 20th November following. On 13th December a resolution to 
ratify the same was passed. 



1 Mr. Madison relates an anecdote of Dr. Franklin, at the time the last members 
of the Convention were signing the engrossed copy of the Constitution, after its 
adoption by the body. The chair therein referred to is high in the back and is 
surmounted by a carved efligy, duly gilt, of a sun with attendant rays. Turning to a 
fellow member he observed, " Painters have always found it difficult to distinguish 
in their art a rising from a setting sun. I have often and often in the course of this 
session, and the vicissitudes of my hopes and fears, as to its issue, looked at that, 
behind the President, without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting; 
but now at length, I have the happiness to know, that it is a rising, and not a setting 
sun." 

2 Then- names in the above list are preceded by asterisks. 



120 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

The voices of Madison, of Mason, of Wilson, and of Hamilton had 
scarcely died away, when these walls again echoed with debates over 
the same subject, in a different form. The Constitution of Penn- 
sylvania had accomplished its purpose, and the people demanded a 
new one for existing needs, and one more in consonance with the new 
Constitution of the United States. 

Responsive to their call, the convention to frame a Constitution 
for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania met in the Eastern chamber 
November 24, 1789. 1 

Thomas Mifflin was made its President, and among the members 
were James Wilson, Thomas McKean, Edward Hand, William Irvine, 
and Timothy Pickering, who had already achieved a national reputa- 
tion, and also William Lewis, James Ross, William Findley, and Al- 
bert Gallatin, who were destined to fame. The subsequent Governors 
Hiester and Snyder were also members. 

This Convention, after an intermission from February 26th to August 
9th, during which the proposed Constitution was published for the in- 
formation of the people, adjourned finally September 2d, 1790. 

Upon the adoption of the State Constitution of 1790, providing for 
two distinct branches of the Legislature, it would appear that the Sen- 
ate and the House of Representatives took possession respectively of 
the Eastern and Western chambers, on the first floor, and here they 
remained till the abandonment of Philadelphia as the Capital of the 
State. 

Pennsylvania very promptly followed — as we shall see in the His- 
tory of Congress Hall at the corner of Sixth Street — the tactics of 
the Federal authorities, not only in abandoning Philadelphia, but in 
adopting a " temporary " as well as a "permanent Capital." 

The Legislature, as early as March, 1787, had indeed discovered, and 
so resolved, that the major part of the good citizens of the Common- 
wealth were subject to great inconvenience and unequal burdens in 

1 The early part, of the month preceding witnessed an event that must also be 
noted among the occurrences of importance under this roof — the First General Con- 
vention of the (United) Protestant Episcopal Church met in the Assembly Room, by 
the consent of the President of the State, for eight days, and during their session 
here occurred the union of the churches of New England with those of the Middle 
and Southern States, the House of Bishops as a separate house was formed, the first 
President Bishop — Seabury — elected, the Constitution of the Church agreed upon, 
and signed, and the Prayer-book in its present form adopted. " No more impor- 
tant convention of the American Church ever assembled," says Rev. William Ste- 
vens Perry, the present Secretary ; and see also Perry's Reprint of Journals, and 
Perry's Handbook of the General Convention. 



REMOVAL OF THE STATE CAPITAL. 121 

consequence of the unfortunate location of the seat of government 
" at the eastern extremity of the State, at the distance of near four 
hundred miles from the western boundary thereof," wherefore they 
determined to erect a State House, for the accommodation of the Ex- 
ecutive and General Assembly, and on the lot of land in the town of 
Harrisburg, the property of the Commonwealth. 

In April, 1799, an act was passed providing for the temporary 
removal of the seat of government to the borough of Lancaster, prohib- 
iting, after the first Tuesday in November then next ensuing, the exer- 
cise elsewhere of any office connected with the Government. Lancas- 
ter was also fixed as the place of meeting of the following session of 
the Legislature, and there to continue till the establishment of the per- 
manent seat of government. 

Thus the chambers hitherto occupied by the National and by the 
State Legislatures were vacated, after the spring of 1799 (April 11th), 
s#nd were permitted to lie fallow till 1802, when Charles Wilson Peale 
made a successful application to the Legislature for the building, for 
the reception of his Museum. 

Independence Chamber, with the whole of the second floor, were 
given up for this purpose, but at the request of the Supreme Court of 
the State, which seems never to have been suitably accommodated 
since the breaking out of the war, the former, the Eastern room, was 
fitted up for their session, and now all the old chairs of members and 
other furniture, not taken away by the Legislature, 1 were sold or given 
away as relics to the different families then residing in Philadelphia. 2 

THE BANQUETING HALL. 

Before the identity of the Banqueting Hall is merged in " the long 
room of the Philadelphia Museum," it behooves us to recall a few 
of its earlier associations, for it played no unimportant part in the 
history of the times. 

Among other recognized obligations of a provincial government 
was that of giving state banquets on fitting public occasions. To meet 
this requirement Mr. Hamilton had thrown the whole of the front, 
of the second floor, into one long room ; this, with one ante-chamber, 

1 The President's chair, the table, and the inkstand, together with two ordinary 
chairs raised on stilts, for the Sergeant-at-arms, and some others, were retained 
and carried to Lancaster, and thence to Harrisburg, by the Legislature. 

2 Thus after a dispersion of seventy years, they are, one by one, so far as preserved 
and identified, secured and replaced in this chamber. " The adventures of the 
chairs of the-Congress of 1776 " might fill as many volumes as did those " Of a 
Guinea " some hundred years ago. 



122 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

constituted the Colonial Banqueting Hall. Very frequently the Coun- 
cil Chamber, on the opposite side of the hall, and communicating also 
with the Long Room, was brought into requisition. In these were 
marked the advent of a new Governor, the arrival in the Province 
of any of the Proprietary family ; here was celebrated, by the loyal 
citizens of Philadelphia,, the King's birthday ; and here were enter- 
tained, generally, distinguished visitors whenever policy demanded 
such hospitality. 

Its first use, as has been seen already, was on the occasion of the 
completion of the State House, when William Allen, as Mayor, en- 
tertained his fellow-citizens, — the grand "raising frolic." 

Upon the birthday of George II., in 1752, the Governor, a son of 
Andrew Hamilton, not only gave a handsome entertainment at his 
mansion at " Bush-hill;" but in the evening a supper and "a brilliant 
grand ball " at the State House ; all three chambers were brilliantly 
lighted, as well as the fine stairway and hall leading thereto. " One 
hundred ladies and a much greater number of gentlemen formed," 
says a contemporary, " the most brilliant assembly that had ever been 
seen in this Province. The whole company were elegantly enter- 
tained by His Honor at supper in the long gallery, and everything 
conducted with the greatest decorum." 

Here, too, the succeeding Governor, Robert Hunter Morris, held a 
leve'e, and rivaled Governor Hamilton in the elegance of " a supper 
in the long gallery," and the brilliancy of the guests. 

Governor William Denny was here feasted by the Assembly in 
August, 1756. The civil and military, as well as the clergy, were in 
attendance ; while in March of the same year, the city officials en- 
tertained Lord Loudoun, on the occasion of his visit to Philadelphia, 
as commander-in-chief of the royal troops in America. In the 
following year, General Forbes was also feasted at the State House. 

" The Birthday " balls were frequent during the years preceding the 
Revolutionary War. 

When the Assembly entertained an incoming Governor, they or- 
dered the clerk " to speak to some suitable person to provide a hand- 
some dinner," designating the day in the " quaker style," and directed 
to be invited thereto, besides the present (and generally the late) 
Governor, the mayor and corporation, the officers, civil and military, 
the clergy, and the strangers in the city. John and Richard Penn 
frequently were feasted here. " The Merchants," and " the City Au- 
thorities," as well as the State were permitted to use the Banqueting 
Hall. 



THE BANQUETING HALL. 123 

On 21st May, 1766, besides other demonstrations of joy, a grand 
entertainment took place at the State House to celebrate the repeal 
of the Stamp Act. It Was given by the principal inhabitants, and 
attended by " his Honor the Governor and the Officers of the Govern- 
ment, the Military, Captain Hawker, of His Majesty's Ship Sardine, 
which ' had been brought before the town and gaily decorated,' and 
the other gentlemen of the navy and all strangers in the city." The 
worshipful the Mayor presided, assisted by some of the Aldermen. 
Three hundred plates were laid ; " the whole was conducted with the 
greatest elegance and decorum, so that detraction itself must be silent 
on the occasion." 

After dinner, toasts were drank to the King, the Queen, the Prince 
of Wales, and Royal family, even the House of Lords, the Commons, 
and the Ministry ; each specifically received the honors, while " the 
glorious and immortal Mr. Pitt," and " that lover and supporter of 
justice Lord Camden," were treated to a bumper. " America's 
friends, generally " and by name, " the Virginia Assembly" ; "Daniel 
Dulany " winding up with the " Liberty of the Press in America." 
The cannon belonging to the Province had been placed in the yard, 
and gave the royal salute after the drinking to the King, and seven 
guns after every other toast. The evening was enlivened by bonfires ; 
beer, ad libitum, to the populace ; — the Liberty Bell pealed forth its 
gratulations. Before the company dispersed in the Banqueting Hall, 
they passed a resolution, in order to demonstrate their affection to 
Great Britain, and their gratitude for the repeal, that each would, on 
the approaching 4th June, " the birthday of our most gracious Sove- 
reign George III., dress ourselves in a new suit of the manufactures 
of England, and give what homespun we have to the poor." 

Probably the last and certainly the most significant of all the ban- 
quets, was that given to the members of the First Continental Con- 
gress in September, 1774. 

" On Friday last," says Bradford's " Journal " of September 21, 
" the Honorable Delegates, now met in General Congress, were ele- 
gantly entertained by the gentlemen of this city. Having met at 
the City Tavern about three o'clock, they were conducted from thence 
to the State House by the managers of the entertainment, where 
they were received by a very large company, composed of the Clergy, 
such genteel strangers as happened to be in town, and a number of 
respectable citizens, making in the whole near five hundred. After 
dinner, toasts were drank, accompanied by music and a discharge of 
cannon." These showed, even yet, no diminution of loyalty. " The 



124 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

King," " The Queen," "The Duke of Gloucester," "The Prince of 
Wales and Royal Family," "Perpetual union to the Colonies" " May 
the Colonies faithfully execute what the Congress shall wisely resolve," 
" The much injured town of Boston and Province of Massachusetts- 
Bay" " May Great Britain be just and America free," " No un- 
constitutional standing armies," " May the cloud which hangs over 
Great Britain and the Colonies burst only on the heads of the pres- 
ent Ministry," " May every American hand down to posterity, pure 
and untainted, the liberty he has derived from his ancestors," " May 
no man enjoy freedom who has not spirit to defend it," " May the 
persecuted genius of Liberty find a lasting asylum in America," 
" May British swords never be drawn in defence of tyranny," " The 
arts and manufactures of America," " Confusion to the authors of 
the Canada Bill," "The liberty of the press," "A happy recon- 
ciliation between Great Britain and her Colonies, on a constitutional 
ground," " The virtuous few in both Houses of Parliament," " The 
City of London," "Lord Chatham" "Lord Camden" "Marquis 
of Rockingham," " Mr. Burke," " General Conway," and some others, 
concluding with " Dr. Franklin," and " Mr. Hancock." 

" The acclamations with which several of them were received, not 
only testified the sense of the honor conferred by such worthy guests, 
but the fullest confidence in their wisdom and integrity, and a firm 
resolution to adopt and support such measures as they shall direct for 
the public good at this alarming crisis." 

Thus Independence Hall shares with Carpenters' Hall, even its 
association with the Pioneers of the Union. 

The Union of the 
American Colonies 

suggested by 

Benjamin Franklin 

at the Congress in Albany in 1754 

postered by massachusetts in 1765 

developed at carpenters hall 

IN 1774 

was in this bullding effected in 177g 

and made more perfect, 

September 17, 1787. 

Among the reminiscences of the early years of Independence Hall 
that came thronging upon us, though thrust aside from their chron- 



A CONGRESS ADVOCATED. 



125 



ological order by historical events, there are some which demand rec- 
ognition. 




*s*»* 






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ELECTRICITY 




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TICKET OF ADMISMoN. 



To the practical telegrapher of 1876, more especially to those who 
have (though in different form) accomplished the transmission of 
electrical messages through thousands of miles of water, it cannot fail 
to be interesting to find that some, if not the very earliest, experiments 
on this subject were exhibited, and explained, at the State House. 

While Franklin was the medium of communication through Peter 
Collinson, with the Royal Society, and thus throughout Europe of the 



126 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

celebrated " Philadelphia experiments," in electricity, his co-laborer 
in the work, Ebenezer Kinnersley, gave, in one of the chambers of the 
State House, his lectures on " the Electrical Fire," its properties, char- 
acteristics, and in some respects adaptations. 1 

This course of lectures commenced September 21st, 1752; they 
were advertised in " The Pennsylvania Gazette," and the hope ex- 
pressed that they will be thought worthy of regard and encouragement 
" as the knowledge of human nature tends to enlarge the human mind, 
and give us more noble and more grand and exalted ideas of the 
author of nature, and if well pursued, seldom fails producing something 
useful to man" 

Among the most interesting of the expositions it was shown : — 

That the electrical fire is an extremely subtle fluid. 

That it does not take any perceptible time in passing through large 
portions of space. 

That this fire will live in water, a river not being sufficient to 
quench the smallest spark of it. 

Dr. Kinnersley discharged a battery of eleven guns by a spark after 
it had passed through ten feet of water. 

He showed that this fire was the same with lightning, and he also 
exhibited the method by which houses could be secured against the 
latter. 

From Independence Hall Dr. Kinnersley, by a singular coincidence, 
went to Faneuil Hall, and there, thirty-nine years before the birth of 
Samuel F. B. Morse, explained some of the mysteries of that power 
utilized by the latter, and almost within ear-shot of the very house 
where Professor Morse first saw the light. 

Our Building is not exempt from association with the primitive 
owners of the soil. Here, in the Council Chamber, at least one grand 

1 Franklin, Kinnersley, Philip Syng, the scientific silversmith (the same who 
made the silver inkstand used in signing the Declaration of Independence), and 
Thomas Hopkinson, formed this junto. It was Mr. Hopkinson who discovered the 
power of metallic points in drawing off and diffusing the fluid, a discovery utilized 
by Franklin in his lightning rod. An admirable address on Dr. Kinnersley by Mr. 
Horatio Gates Jones, of Philadelphia, is yet in MS. 




^/C<r^< = ^^/^s 



ASSOCIATION WITH THE INDIANS. 127 

"talk" with the Indians was held by the President and Council, at 
the close of September, 1771. Chiefs of the Cayugas, of the Dela- 
wares and Shawanese, Tuscaroras and Mohicans, were present. They 
came upon a friendly visit to confirm the lands that " we gave to the 
Proprietor Onus, [William Penn] and to no other person, and we not 
only gave Wyoming to him, but a great space of land round about 
it except the place where the Indians live.** 

Though eighty-nine years had elapsed, these " savages " had not 
forgotten the Treaty of Shackamaxon, under the great Elm " remem- 
bering," say they, " that there was an old road between us and our 
Brethren at Philadelphia [Shackamaxon], in the very beginning of 
Time, we sat out with some of our people and found the old road, and 
travelled safe in it to this city, and we are glad to find the old Council 
Fire, which was kindled by our Fathers, is still burning bright and 
clear as it used to be, and that we see our Brethren — our Fathers and 
your Fathers were in close Friendship. Here they presented a string 
of wampum of three rows — they held fast the covenant chain and 
strengthened it — one held it fast at one end and the other at the 
other end, but there were always some bad people who wanted to 
break the chain, but they never have been able to do it. Both you 
and we have held it fast," etc. 

Deputations from the different Indian tribes had been frequently 
sent to treat with the State Government, and to receive the usual 
" condolences " upon deaths of their sachems. They were entertained 
generally in "the yard" at the public expense, and previous to the 
summer of 1759 were lodged in one of the wings of the State House. 

Apprehensive of fire from carelessness on their part, directions were 
given by the Assembly to erect a small house adjoining for their use. 
It is supposed that this gave rise to the construction and use of the 
two long low sheds at the ends of the Building, which are shown in 
Peale's picture of the Hall, as it stood in 1778, and which during the 
Revolution were used for artillery and general munitions of war. 

Few alterations or repairs were made to the State House from the 
time of its completion to the termination of the Revolution. The 
steeple in which the Bell had been placed was of wood, and sur- 
mounted "the Tower" so-called. As early as 1771, Rev. Mr. Duche 
in his " Caspipina's Letters," tells us that the architecture of the stee- 
ple was considered so miserable that it was determined " to let it go 
to decay," in order to its better replacement. In 1773, a skillful car- 
penter was employed to view and report on its state : and the Assem- 
bly in the following year considered the expediency, and indeed gave 



128 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

the order, " that it should be taken down and the brick work cheaply 
covered to prevent its being damaged by weather." This order has 
given rise to the error of Mr. Watson, the annalist, and generally those 
who have since depicted the State House in 177G have adopted his 
statement, inferring " what ought to be done, has been done " — but 
such was not the fact. Estimates were actually submitted in March, 
1775 ; it was then proposed to place a cupola upon the front building, 
but the subject was " referred for further consideration to the next 
sitting of the House." The Continental Congress met only a short 
time afterwards within its precincts ; this circumstance, together with 
the pressure of the stirring events preceding the War of Independence, 
rendered further action impossible at the time. 

In April, 1781, the condition of the steeple was considered abso- 
lutely dangerous, and was then, and not until then, pursuant to the 
peremptory order of the Assembly, taken down. 

" The heavy fraim whereon the Bell used to hang " was lowered 
into the brick tower, and the old Liberty Bell was now again suspended 
from its beam ; the three windows of the otherwise close room were 
fitted with sounding-boards in order to give full effect to its tones, for 
alarums, rejoicings, etc. The Tower was plainly though effectually 
covered for the preservation of the building, and was surmounted by a 
slender spire or point. Immediately in front of the spire on the main 
roof, a second bell, called the "clock bell," and sometimes confounded 
with the Liberty Bell, was suspended with a slight covering or shed 
built over it, as is seen in Birch's " Familiar Views of the State 
House." The Bill for this work is also extant, and may interest the 
curious : — 

Mr. Thomas Nevell, 
for the State House. 1781, 

To John Coburn, Dr. 
July 16. — To sundry hands getting down the Old Steeple, and 
getting up the new one, getting up the Bell, and fixing of 

it, £12 00 00 

To the two falls and blocks and Crab getting the Old 
Steeple down and the new up, and the Bell, . . 8 00 00 

£20 00 00 
Note. — This is the Rigger's bill against Nevell the Carpenter. 

In September, 1784, important repairs were needed for the protec- 
tion of the building. These are specified in the Report of the Com- 
mittee, and are entirely immaterial, so far as the general appearance is 
concerned. The sidewalk had not been entirely paved, but was in 



inn i 







EARLY SURROUNDINGS. 



129 



turf, except apparently the then usual " pebble-stone " footway of semi- 
circular form leading up to, and from, the steps. These stones seem 
to have been taken up about 1784 or 1785, and a brick side-walk par- 
allel with the street, nine feet in width, was constructed ; the inter- 
vening space was graveled. It so remained for some time after the 
commencement of the present century. 

No trees then ornamented the front, but a pump for " the conven- 
iency of the public," and for protection from fire, in connection with 
the leather fire-bucket — one hundred of which were ordered to be sup- 
plied and which were kept constantly on hand — was placed in front of 
each arcade. 

It was at one time deemed desirable to open a street through to 
Mai"ket, immediately opposite the State House, and a Committee was 
appointed by the Assembly, March 19, 1772, to confer with the owners 
of the lots, to ascertain " if the same may be had at a reasonable price 
jtnd make report." 










INN OPPOSITE THE STATE HOUSE. 



The plan was never acted upon. It does not appear that any report 
ever was made upon the subject. 



THE WINGS. 



Of late years a notion has crept into, and taken possession of, the 
public mind that the State House stood alone, and that the present wings 



130 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

are mere innovations. This is by no means the fact. What is now 
called " the row " covers nearly the same ground, and is not essentially 
different from the originals, which were erected and appropriated for 
the reception of the Records and Public Papers of the Province. Ac- 
cording to the primitive practice of the times, these, in custody of the 
officers, had always been kept at the respective residences of the latter. 
The public exigencies, however, as early as 1735, seemed to demand a 
change in this respect, to meet the convenience of the community. 
This induced the planning, and prompt completion of, the eastern wing 
of the State House. It was a low two-story structure of brick, of 
about the same depth as the main building, and at a distance therefrom 
of about thirty feet, though connected with it by an arcade on Chest- 
nut Street, shut in, in the rear, by a blank wall. Within the arcade 
was constructed a stairway, which led to the single large chamber of 
the second story of " the wing," its only means of access. The lower 
floor w T as divided into two rooms, which were assigned respectively to 
the Register General (the custodian of the original wills made in the 
then County of Philadelphia) and to the Recorder of Deeds. 

Much opposition was made, by both these officers, to taking posses- 
sion of these quarters. The former protested that his papers and rec- 
ords were more secure against embezzlement and fire, where he kept 
them in his private residence, than they could possibly be in the public 
building designed for them. He also " considered it a hardship to 
attend at certain hours at the State House. 1 ' The Recorder of Deeds, 
whose important functions — unknown to the English practice — had 
been carried on since the first settlement, protested, in yielding to the 
requirement, that he would not be responsible for the Records if the 
removal were insisted upon, and asked in such case to be permitted, at 
least, to retain at his residence each volume until its completion. 

These gentlemen, however, were summarily required to take pos- 
session of the offices assigned. 

The " western wing " corresponding with that on the east seems to 
have been finished three years later, — in 1739. Its lower chamber or 
chambers (for it is uncertain whether it consisted of two rooms) was 
accorded to the Secretary of the Province, and was occupied contin- 
uously by that officer down to the summer of 1779, when application 
was made by the Board of War, through Lewis Nicola, for the use 
of the second floor for the accommodation of twelve or fifteen Indians 
then daily expected. This second floor was granted in October, 1739, 
upon their application, to the Philadelphia Library Company, " to 
deposite their books in." The Library was continued here until 1773, 



THE WINGS. 131 

when it was transferred to the Carpenters' Hall, just in time for the 
convenient use of the Congress in the following year. 

It would appear that the flags captured during the Revolution were 
herein displayed and that this chamber, and certainly a corresponding 
chamber in the eastern wing, was used as a Committee room for the 
Assembly and for Congress. 1 Charles Thomson, the " permanent Sec- 
retary " of the latter, also had here his private office. 

Shortly after Congress left Philadelphia, the upper chamber of the 
western wing was occupied by the Supreme Court of the State, 2 and 
some efforts were made in 1786, to make it conform to the convenience 
and dignity of the Court. The State arms were painted and placed 
over the chair of the Chief Justice, "partitions put up" in the cham- 
ber, and a new " stove placed therein." 

It was the custom for the doorkeeper of the Assembly in Colonial 
days to occupy the attic of the western wing. The product of " the 
Yard " was his perquisite. We find one Joseph Fry, the incum- 
bent in 1788, praying to be exonerated from the payment to the State 
of one hundred and ninety-five pounds, with which he was charged for 
arrears of rent. Apparently he kept a cow " to consume the herbage 
of the State-House yard." 

At the close of the Revolution, while pensions were provided by the 
State for officers, soldiers, and seamen of the Continental Army, of 
the Pennsylvania line, wounded, maimed, or disabled so as to prevent 
their obtaining a livelihood, a corps of invalids was formed, to guard 
public property and offices, and among others the State House and 
adjoining buildings. This corps was ordered, in March, 1789, to be 
disbanded, and the Supreme Executive Council was authorized to em- 
ploy a requisite number of watchmen, under the civil establishment of 
the city, to guard the public buildings. 

State House Yard, or Independence Square, as it is now dubbed, 
only extended, at first, from Fifth to Sixth streets, and, back from 
Chestnut, three hundred and thirty-seven feet, or rather more than 

1 The " Busto," of the Proprietary, Thomas Perm, presented to the Province by 
his wife in 1773, though all trace of it seems lost, was most likely placed in the 
" Committee room at east end of State House," where the State House deeds were 
from time to time ordered to be deposited in " the chest; " and where, also, John 
Hughes was also directed to place his Record Books, etc., etc. 

2 The locus sitce of the Supreme Court during the Revolutionary War, after 
April, 1776, — its last sitting in its own chamber, and its last session as " the Pro- 
vincial Supreme Court," — cannot be determined. Mr. Fletcher, the present pro- 
thonotary, has sought for the minute books of the period in vain. 



132 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

one half the distance toward Walnut. It appears that a single tree 
was then upon the premises, which were inclosed by a high brick wall. 
The whole Square originally had been cut up into convenient lots. 
The Chestnut Street front, 255 feet deep, was divided off into eight 
lots forty-nine and a half feet front each, and, with the exception of 
the westernmost (at corner of Sixth Street), still "vacant," had been 
all granted by Penn, in 1683, to private individuals, in order, from 
Fifth Street. 

Edward Jones. t Peter Edwards, 

John Roberts. David Kinsey, 

John German, Richard Miles. 

John Oliver, Vacant. 

While the front on Walnut Street had been granted to — 

John Evans, Vacant. 

David James, David Powell, 

Samuel Miles, Wm. Davis, in right of Thos. Jones. 

Vacant. David Powell. 

The last named having been granted as late as 1715, the others in 
the years 1683, 1684, and 1692. 

The original purchases by William Allen, at the instance of An- 
drew Hamilton, and by Mr. Hamilton himself, covered the whole 
Chestnut Street front, (the title to which passed through intermediate 
purchasers,) and just sufficient in addition — 82 feet by 148^- on Fifth, 
and the same on Sixth Street — to justify his requirement that a ces- 
sion should be made to the city and county out of the Chestnut Street 
front of lots, upon which to build their respective Halls. 

The legal title of the Province to the property had not been per- 
fected in 1762. On the third of February of this year the existing 
deeds were brought in and delivered to the House ; they were ordered 
to be kept in the Committee Room. The chain of title not being com- 
plete, however, an act was passed divesting all the interest of Andrew 
Hamilton and William Allen and their heirs, and vesting it in Isaac 
Norris, the then Speaker, Thomas Leech, Joseph Fox, Samuel Rhoads, 
Joseph Galloway, John Baynton, Edward Penington, Esquires, as 
Trustees for the Province. A proviso was added, and it was declared 
" to be the true intent and meaning hereof that no part of said ground 
lying to the southward of the State House, within the wall as it is now 
built, be made use of for erecting any sort of buildings thereon, but 
that the same shall be and remain a public green and walk forever." 
This act was passed upon 17th February, 1762. A committee who 
had been appointed to treat with the owners of the lots, lying to the 
southward of the State House, in order to their purchase by the Prov- 



THE LEGAL TITLE. 133 

ince, having also reported favorably as to inclination of owners, etc., 
that they would sell, at such price as the lots might be valued by in- 
different persons, an act was procured on fourteenth of May following. 
It made an appropriation of five thousand pounds, and required the 
trustees to purchase the residue of the Square on Walnut Street 
" to and for the same uses, intents, and purposes to which the said 
House and its appurtenances are appropriated." These final pur- 
chases were perfected by the spring of 1769 and deeds duly executed 
to the trustees, and thus the Province became possessed of the whole 
Square. »A brick wall, seven feet high, was at once (in 1770) con- 
structed around the whole premises, with an immense gateway and 
wooden door on Walnut Street, in the middle of that front. It is 
believed that there was no other entrance save from the buildings 
themselves. 

After the Province of Pennsylvania became a free State, under the 
L new Constitution, it was considered expedient to vest the title to all 
the real estate of the former in the Commonwealth by statute. This 
was accordingly done by act of the 28th February, 1780. Samuel 
Rhoads and Edward Penington were then the only surviving trustees, 
except Joseph Galloway, who had forfeited his trusts by treason, and 
whose title to his own former residence on " High, Minor and Sixth 
Streets " 1 was included in the same act. This latter provided that 
the State House with its adjoining lot, etc., etc., with all the other 
real estate belonging to "the good people of this Commonwealth or 
of any county thereof in their public and collective capacity belonging 
or to their use or interest vested and conveyed, shall be, and hereby 
are, vested in the Commonwealth, freed and discharged and absolutely 
acquitted, exempted and exonerated of, from, and against, all claims 
and demands of the said Feoffees or Trustees, .... subject, how- 
ever, to the several uses, intents, trusts, dispositions, and direction for 
which the same have been heretofore respectively appointed and lim- 
ited, and to none other." 

Just before the troubles with Great Britain commenced it had been 
ordered that the Superintendents " prepare a plan for laying out the 
Square, behind the State House, in proper walks, and to be planted 
with suitable trees, etc., and that the plan should be submitted to the 
Assembly, but, apparently, no further steps were then taken to this 
end, and, indeed, no practical measures, before or during the Revolu- 

1 See page 82 for representation of the State House Yard at this time and as it 
continued till 1873. 

2 This residence had been appropriated by statute and "appointed for the use of 
the President of the Supreme Executive Council" of the State. 



134 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

tion, seem to have been taken. Had any been attempted, they would 
have been rendered abortive, by the immense public meetings for 
patriotic purposes which, as we have seen, were so frequent during the 
early days of the Revolutionary War. 

The peace of 1783 afforded the citizens leisure for internal improve- 
ment as well as for the encouragement of scientific research. The 
State House Square presented scope for both. In September of this 
year President John Dickinson invites the attention of the Assembly 
to the condition of the State House lot, and urges the execution of the 
law, as " the laying out the ground according to the original design 
would be reputable to the State, particularly useful to the inhabitants 
of this city and agreeable to strangers." 

No evidences of any active measures to effect this appear till Feb- 
ruary 28, 1785, when a few trees were planted. Mr. Samuel Vaughan, 
a public-spirited citizen of the clay, is said to have taken much interest 
in the improvement of the Square. Through him Mr. George Morgan, 
of Princeton, N. /!., presented one hundred elm trees in April, 1785 ; 
these, with possibly one exception, are the oldest trees upon the square. 

" Public walks " were now laid out, and it commenced to be called 
" the State House Garden " and was a place of fashionable resort. In 
1791 it was thought that it would contribute to its embellishment as 
well as "conduce to the, health of the citizens, by admitting a freer 
circulation of air, if the east and west walls were lowered, and 
palisadoes placed thereon." The city of Philadelphia was therefore 
allowed by the State, at its own expense, to reduce the brick wall to 
three feet, and to place upon it "an iron railing fixed into a stone 
capping along the length of Fifth and Sixth streets." The wall on 
Walnut Street, however, still remained as originally built, till 1813, 
when that also was lowered to correspond. A very handsome iron 
gate flanked by substantial marble posts, the latter surmounted by 
lamps, now replaced the cumbersome folding doors. 1 

1 The cost of removing the wall of the State House Yard, and erecting the iron 
railing, has been preserved by Mr. Hazard. 

KAST AND WEST WALLS. 

Taking down the wall, preparing foundation and materials . . . $310.36 

Bar iron and castings 1,447.03 

Lead 147.50 

Connecting plates, rivets, and smith work 462.70 

Marble coping 1,671.01 

Gates 132.15 

Painting two coats _ 88.00 

$4,258.75 



CONGRESS HALL. 135 

In giving its sanction to these changes, the State was careful to 
express a reservation of all right, title, and interest in, and to, the 
Square. 

Permission was also granted in this year, 1812, to the County 
Commissioners to alter the wings of the State House, for the current 
needs of the city. This was accordingly done in 1813. The arcades 
and staircases were then removed and two-story structures replaced 
them, while the buildings next adjacent on both sides were also 
changed. The base of the old clock at this time was removed, though 
the clock itself was permitted to remain till 1828. 

CONGRESS HALL. 
The next portion of the buildings upon " the Square," which 
claims our attention, is that at the southeast corner of Chestnut and 

Sixth streets. 

c 

The funds to defray these expenses were derived from the following sources: — 

Old materials sold $411.21 

Appropriated by the City Couneil 1,500.00 

Subscriptions by individuals 2,347.54 

$4,258.75 
SOUTH WALL. 

Taking down the wall and preparing foundation and materials . . $184.6(5 

Marble coping 914.30 

Castings and bar iron 786.63 

Smith work, connecting plates, putting up, etc. 271.58 

Lead 52 50 

Painting 37.75 

$2,247.42 
The funds for which were derived from the following sources: — 

Bridge Co.'s debt appropriated by councils $500.00 

Fines for breach of ordinances by councils 383.94 

Appropriated in 1813, by councils 600.00 

Subscriptions by individuals 765.48 

$2,247.42 
Total cost exclusive of the southern gate : — 

East and West sides $4,258.76 

South side 2,247.42 

$6,506.18 

FEET. 

Length of railing on the west side exclusive of gateways . . . .397 

East side 337.9 

South end 391.4 

1126.1 



136 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Though actually erected after the Revolution, its plan was almost 
coeval with that of the State House itself. 

In his scheme of public utility, Mr. Hamilton did not restrict him- 
self to the needs of the State alone. In conjunction with his friend, 
William Allen, he purchased both corner lots on Chestnut Street, ad- 
joining what was appropriated by him to the State House proper, and 
its appurtenant offices, and in February, 1736, procured the passage 
of a Resolution of Assembly, resulting in an Act, which authorized 
and directed him to convey certain lots to designated Trustees, who 
should hold them in trust for the use of the City and the County of 
Philadelphia. These lots were each fifty feet on Chestnut, running 
back seventy-three feet, one at southeast corner of Chestnut and Sixth 
streets, and the other at southwest corner of Fifth. It was provided 
in the Resolution referred to, that the buildings to be erected there- 
upon should be " of the like outward form, structure and dimensions, 
the one for the use of the County and the other for the use of the 
City, and to be used for the holding of courts or common halls and 
not for private buildings." The two corporations were required to 
refund to the State the proportionate value of these lots, and the 
buildings were to be erected within twenty years. 

When the Act of February 17, 1762, already cited, was passed to 
perfect the title, these requirements were duly incorporated in its body. 

It was not till July, 1764, that an actual conveyance of this prop- 
perty 1 was made to the City and to the County respectively, for the 
erection of their Public Buildings. Ten years yet elapsed before any 
action was taken. In February, 1775, a committee was appointed by 
the Common Council to draw a plan of the building for city uses 
and to make an estimate of the cost. In order to meet the latter in 
part, the corporation fund, arising from donations made by former 
Mayors to the city, was deemed available. A custom had existed 
down to the year 1741, for the Mayor, on expiration of his term of 
office, to entertain his constituents at a public banquet. Mr. James 
Hamilton (the son of Andrew Hamilton), however, disapproving this 
practice and at the same time desirous of showing his appreciation of 
the honor paid him by his fellow-citizens, presented for municipal use 
for the erection of an Exchange, or other public edifice, one hundred 
and fifty pounds, an example that was followed for many years by his 
successors. This fund, however, was not yet adequate, nor do the 
demands for accommodations, for the municipal authorities, seem to 
have been pressing. 

1 Under the Act of Assembly of February 17, 1762. 



CONGRESS HALL. 137 

No active efforts were made to carry out the design till after the 
close of the Revolutionary War. 

On 18th March, 1785, the Assembly took into consideration, and 
on 8th April following, finally passed an Act, by which an appropria- 
tion of X 3,000 was made out of the proceeds of the sale of the " old 
gaol and work-house " of the County, then ordered to be disposed of, 
towards the erection of the County Building on the State House 
Square, and a similar amount to be taken out of the Treasury of the 
City for the erection of the City or " Common Hall," at the corres- 
ponding corner of Fifth and Chestnut. The Act also required the I' 
submission of the plans to the President and Council of State, who 
had recommended the consideration of the subject in December, 1784, 
" in order that their outward appearance may be alike and uniform." 

The seventy-three feet in depth already conveyed proving " insuffi- 
cient," an additional grant was made by the Legislature on 29th 
March, 1787, of fifteen feet; it would, however, appear that the "in- 
sufficiency " had arisen from placing the Halls further from the curb 
than was originally intended, in order to widen the side-walk. 

In the spring following the County Building was promptly com- 
menced, and apparently finished in February, 1789. We find that on 
4th March of that year — the very day upon which the new government 
of the United States was to go into operation in New York City — ;i 
motion was made in the House of Assembly of Pennsylvania by the 
Representatives of the City and County of Philadelphia, who at the 
same time stated they were so authorized by their constituents : de- 
ferred to the next day, it was then unanimously Resolved, — 

" That the members of the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States, from this State, be authorized to make a respectful offer to 
Congress of the use of any or all the public buildings in Philadelphia, the 
property of the State and of the building lately erected on the State House 
Square belonging to the City and County of Philadelphia, in case Congress 
should at any time incline to make choice of that city for the temporary res- 
idence of the federal government." 

In Congress, as early in the session as 15th May, 1789, efforts were 
made to establish the permanent seat of Government of the United 
States. Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Delaware, as well as 
Pennsylvania, competed. The House passed a Resolution in favor of 
the last mentioned State. 

Simultaneously with the passage of a bill to this effect in the House, 
Robert Morris in the Senate, on 21st September, presented the Resolves 



138 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

of the Pennsylvania Assembly as already given, tendering the use of 
the public buildings in Philadelphia. The Senate, however, made 
some amendments to the House Bill, and on its return to the House, 
for concurrence, it was postponed till the next session ; the subject was 
then again brought up, at the same time, in the House and in the Sen- 
ate. In the former, it was determined that " Congress should meet 
and hold their next session in Philadelphia," but the Senate again re- 
fused to concur in the Resolution, and debated, without result, the 
question of & permanent seat of government 

The House then made another effort for a temporary Capitol, sub- 
stituting Baltimore for Philadelphia ; and to this, also, the Senate re- 
fused its concurrence, and insisted upon considering the question of a 
permanent Capitol, which they now did by naming the banks of the 
River Potomac, and fixing the year 1800 as the time for transfer 
thereto. After considerable debate and discussion of resolutions in 
every variety of form over Philadelphia. New York, and Baltimore, the 
Senate finally agreed to establish their temporary residence in Phil- 
adelphia. The Bill, received by the House on 20th July, 1790, was 
attacked by attempted amendments, but was finally passed by a very 
close vote. 

In a letter to his wife, dated New York, July 2, 1700, Mr. Morris 
himself says : — 

" I congratulate you my Dearest Friend upon our success, for at length the 
Senate has passed a Bill fixing the temporary seat of Congress at Philadel- 
phia for ten years, after which it is to be permanently fixer! on the banks of 
the Potomack (provided the buildings, etc.., are ready). The next Session of 
Congress is to commence on the first day of December next, in Philadelphia. 

- This Bill had the third reading and passed in the Senate yesterday fourteen 
to twelve. This morning it will be sent to the House of Representatives, 
where it must have three readings and will undergo a tiery trial, but our Peo- 
ple are confident that they have a majority which will carry it through, and 
there is no room to fear the President's consent, so that we have a much better 
prospect of perfecting this momentous affair to our satisfaction now. than we 
have had at any time this Session, but I cannot help remembering what hap- 
pened the last year ; we were nearer to our object then, than we are now. and 
yet we lost it. at the moment when we were most sure. 

'• The majority in the House of Representatives is so small, that many con- 
tingencies may happen to dash the ' Cup from the Lip ; ' therefore, it is best 
not to be too sanguine. The Yorkers are cunning and intrigueing. They 
spare no pains to coax and cajole those with whom they think there is the least 
chance of success. They lay all the blame of this measure on me, and abuse 
me most unmercifully, both in the Public Prints, private conversations, and 




% i 

in 

Q 
>-i 
O 



140 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

even in the streets ; and yesterday I was nearly engaged in a serious quarrel 
with one of them. — However, I don't mind all they can do, and if I carry 
the point, I will, like a good Christian, forgive them all." 1 

The Bill received the assent of the President (communicated to 
the Senate on 16th July), but even then its repeal was attempted. 
This proved unsuccessful. 

The third session of the First Congress met, accordingly, on 6th 
December, 1790, in the building which was henceforward known as 
"Congress Hall." 

Shortly after they assembled (on 8th December), the Commission- 
ers of the City and County confirmed the offering that had already been 
made of the County Court House for the accommodation of the Rep- 
resentatives of the Union during their residence in the city of Phila- 
delphia ; and on the next day the Senate ordered the following reply to 
be addressed to the Commissioners : — 

Gentlemen : — 

The Senate have considered the letter that you were pleased to address to 
the Senate and House of Representatives on the 6th inst, and they entertain 
a proper sense of the respect shown to the General Government of the United 
States by providing so commodious a building as the Commissioners of the 
City and County of Philadelphia have appropriated for the accommodation of 
the representatives of the Union, daring their i*esideuce in this city. 
I have the honor to be 

Your most humble servant, 

John Adams, 
Vice-president of the United States and President of the Senate.' 2 

A communication from the Commissioners, similar to that to the 
Senate, was made to the House of Representatives on the 11th De- 
cember. 

1 In Manuscript from the forthcoming Life of Robert Morris, by Charles Henry 
Hart. 

2 On 6th December, the State House might, possibly, as some have suggested, 
have been used by Congress; but as the Pennsylvania Assembly met the next day, 
the former must have immediately adjourned to take possession of the chambers 
which had been prepared for them. The only ground for doubt as to their meeting 
even at the first, in the County Building, proceeds from the letter of the Commis- 
sioners given in the text; but this seems to have been a mere formality to guarantee 
to government the continuous use of the building, and this view is confirmed by the 
language of Mr. Adams's letter, not accepting (which the actual occupancy would 
render unnecessary) , but simply thanking the constituted authorities for the com- 
modious building appropriated to the representatives, etc., " during their residence 
in this city." 




(4 * 



CONGRESS HALL. 141 

Comparatively little had been done while Congress still sat in New- 
York and as they continued to sit in this building till the year 1800, 
. it was here that the essential features of the new government were 
adopted and the Constitution of the United States practically put in 
running order. 

The Army and Navy were placed upon a creditable footing. 

The United States Mint was established. 

The celebrated Treaty of Commerce with England, known as 
" Jay's Treaty," was debated and ratified. 

The United States Bank was instituted. 

The States of Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee were all admitted 
into the Union. 

While still in Philadelphia, the Government successfully withstood 
the two great insurrections that threatened, apparently, its overthrow. 
"Shays' Rebellion" in Massachusetts, and " The Whisky Insurrec- 
tion" in Pennsylvania; it conducted an Indian war, in which " St. 
Clair's Defeat" and " Wayne's Success" were crystallized into history ; 
the severest of all the tests to which it was subjected was probably the 
encountering the hostilities of the staunch friend and ally of America in 
the Revolution — France, and thence creating the most bitter animosi- 
ties at home. 

It was in this building that the second inauguration 1 of the First 
President took place, March 4, 1793. 

The announcement of the event in the papers of the 5th is thus 
chronicled : — 

"Yesterday, our beloved and venerable George Washington came to the 
Senate Chamber of Congress, and took the usual oath of office, which was ad- 
ministered to him by Judge Cushing, at noon, in presence of an immense con- 
course of his fellow citizens, members of both Houses of the Congress of the 
United States Legislature, and several foreign ministers, consuls, etc. There 
was likewise an assemblage of ladies attending on this solemn occasion, and 
the clay was extremely serene, for Providence has always smiled on the day 
of this man and on the glorious cause which he has espoused, of Liberty and 
Equality. 

M After taking the oath, the President retired as he had come, without pomp 
or ceremony, but on his departure from the House, the people could no longer 
restrain obeying the genuine dictates of their hearts, they saluted him with three 
cheers." 

In the self-same building, though this time, in the Chamber of the 
House of Representatives, the Second President of the United States, 

1 The first inauguration, April 30th, 1789, Congress had met and was in session 
in New York City. 



142 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

John Adams, assumed his official duties, March 4, 1797. The re- 
tiring President, General Washington, greater, if possible, than at any- 
other period of his life, was seated on the right of Mr. Adams, and 
the Vice President elect, Mr. Jefferson, on his left. Jonathan Dayton 
was the Speaker of the House at this time, and he occupied the seat of 
the Clerk, immediately in front of the Speaker's chair. The Chief 
Justice and the Associate Justices occupied a table in the centre ; 
General Wilkinson, Commander-in-chief of the Army, the Heads of 
Departments, and many of the principal inhabitants were in attend- 
ance. 

Previous to taking the oath, Mr. Adams delivered a speech from the 
Speaker's chair, which probably, for the first time, was issued the 
same afternoon in a postscript to the daily papers. Upon its conclu- 
sion, the President descended and took the oath of office ; the Chief 
Justice, Oliver Ellsworth, pronounced the Constitutional Oath with 
much solemnity, which was repeated in an equally audible and solemn 
manner. The President then resumed his seat for a moment, rose, 
bowed to the audience, and retired. He was followed by the Vice 
President, though not without a contest between him and the out- 
going President, with respect to precedence, the former insisting upon 
the Vice President taking it, and he with great reluctance receiving it. 

The papers of the day comment upon the ceremony as " affording 
high satisfaction and delight to every genuine republican, to behold a 
fellow citizen, raised by the voice of the people, to be the first Magis- 
trate of a free nation, and to see at the same time him, who lately filled 
the Presidential chair, retiring by ' voluntary choice,' and, as a private 
citizen, attending the inauguration of his successor in office. Thus 
was beautifully exemplified the simplicity and excellence of the Re- 
publican system, in opposition to hereditary monarchical governments, 
where all is conducted by a few powerful individuals, amidst all the 
pomp, splendor, and magnificence of courts." 

Within a year a scene occurred in the House of a very different 
character and which caused much scandal at the time. It induced the 
issue of a caricature, " the First Battle in Congress," and a burlesque, 
styled "The House of Wisdom in a Bustle — a poem descriptive of 
the noted battle lately fought in C-ng-ss." This was in 1798, January 
30. The facts were these : during the sitting of the House of Repre- 
sentatives, though while the Speaker was not actually in the chair, 
(the tellers being engaged in counting the votes in an impeachment 
case) but occupying a member's seat on the floor and in conversation 
with Matthew Lyon of Vermont, — Roger Griswold of Connecticut 



CONGRESS HALL. 143 

approached the party ; Mr. Lyon, who was standing outside of the 
Bar, had just made some remark very disparaging to the Representa- 
tives from Connecticut, and evidently intended for their ears, — Mr. 
Griswold immediately retorted by a taunt suggesting that Mr. Lyon 
should carry his wooden sivord into Connecticut, — thus alluding to the 
fact that Lyon had been cashiered from the army, — whereupon the 
latter spat in the face of Mr. Griswold, who stepped back as if about 
to strike, but some members interposed, observing, " such an affront 
must be considered, but this is not the time or place." Mr. Griswold 
thereupon wiped his face, and quietly went out with his colleague. 
The Committee at once appointed on " breach of privileges " reported 
the facts, and recommended Mr. Lyon's expulsion for the " gross in- 
decency." 

After various discussions in the Committee of the Whole, the House, 
on 12th February, refused, for want of two thirds, to take this step, 
though a majority favored it. As some anticipated, the result was a 
personal fracas, notwithstanding the House had taken the precaution 
to pass a Resolution, that they would consider it a high breach of 
privilege, if a personal contest should ensue. 

After the usual morning prayer, on the fifteenth of February, fol- 
lowing, but before the Speaker had called the House to order, and 
while Mr. Lyon was sitting at his desk writing, Mr. Griswold ap- 
proached and dealt him one or more blows with a cane. Mr. Lyon 
extricated himself and retreated ; Mr. Griswold followed, still bela- 
boring him, till Mr. Lyon, reaching the fire-place behind the Speaker's 
chair, grasped the tongs, when the two combatants closed and both 
came to the floor, whereupon some members interposed and separated 
them ; each combatant arming himself with a cane, Mr. Griswold was 
about to renew the attack, when, the Speaker calling the House to 
order, he desisted. 

The motion for expulsion was renewed, and made applicable to both 
members, on the following day ; this motion was also refei*red to a 
Committee, who reported adversely to expulsion, and a motion for 
even a vote of censure on both was defeated. 

To the want of dignity, displayed by the House upon this discred- 
itable occurrence, may, it is believed, " be ascribed the personal affrays 
that have since, from time to time, disgraced it." 

One other event ere Congress vacated this building can scarcely 
pass unnoticed in our memories of it, — 

The official announcement of the Death of Washington. 



144 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

On the nineteenth of December, upon the report of his death, both 
Houses adjourned. Upon the next day, John Marshall, then a mem- 
ber of the House (afterwards Chief Justice), rose in his place, and 
after confirming the melancholy event which the day before had been 
announced with doubt, " our Washington is no more, he lives only in 
his own great actions and in the hearts of an affectionate and afflicted 
people," he paid a tribute to his character and service, that has never 
been surpassed. " More than any other individual, and as much as to 
one individual was possible, has he contributed to found this our 
wide-spreading empire, and to give to the Western World its indepen- 
dence and its freedom." He concluded with offering resolutions that 
the House should wait upon the President in condolence ; that the 
Speaker's chair should be shrouded with black, and that the members 
wear mourning. 

" That a Committee, in conjunction with one from the Senate, be appointed 
to consider on the most suitable manner of paying honor to the memory of the 
man, first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his 



The Senate concurred, and on the Monday following, to which time 
the House adjourned, Mr. Marshall, as chairman of the joint com- 
mittee, reported among other resolves : that the United States should 
erect a monument in the city of Washington ; that there be a funeral 
procession from Congress Hall to the German Lutheran Church, in 
honor of the memory of General George Washington, on the twenty- 
sixth of December, and that an oration be prepared at the request of 
Congress, to be delivered before both Houses on that day. These 
Resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 

Both Houses met at Congress Hall, on the twenty-sixth of Decem- 
ber, pursuant to the arrangements. The Society of the Cincinnati 
and the military having assembled at the State House, a funeral pro- 
cession was formed and escorted the bier, on which were displayed 
the General's hat and sword, to Zion Church where General Henry 
Lee, a personal friend of General Washington, pronounced his cele- 
brated " Oration." 

" The streets through which the procession passed " are described 
by the papers as " crowded with citizens who partook of the general 
sorrow, and on no occasion was the sympathy of every individual more 

1 Amended, apparently by Mr. Marshall himself, into countrymen, and subse- 
quently incorporated in these words in General Lee's oration. 



CONGRESS HALL. 145 

strongly excited than on this, the most awful and impressive scene 
ever witnessed." 

It was recommended by Congress, that the ensuing twenty-second 
of February should be properly solemnized, which was accordingly 
done throughout the United States. 

In Philadelphia the Society of the Cincinnati invited Major William 
Jackson to deliver an address suitable to the occasion. 

The exterior of " Congress Hall " remains substantially as it was, 
when used by the Government ; the interior has been changed. The 
Representatives met on the lower floor, the whole of which was in one 
chamber, with the exception of a vestibule running along the full front 
on Chestnut Street, and containing, on the left of the main door of en- 
trance, the staircase to the chambers above. This again opened into 
*a logia, over which was the gallery, which latter opened directly into 
the street, through a door-way still visible on the east side. The 
Speaker's seat without canopy, " of plain leather and brass nails," was 
on the western side of the house, with members' seats ranged in three 
semi-circular rows in front. 4i The room was fitted up," says a con- 
temporaneous European traveller, "in the plainest manner, though the 
Senate chamber in the story above is furnished in a much superior 
style." The latter occupied the chamber afterwards appropriated to 
and used by District Court No. 1, without essential change except in 
the removal of the gallery. The President's seat was on the north 
side, just without the bay-window ; though he too occupied a plain 
chair without canopy, the mahogany table in front of him is described 
as k ' festooned with silk." 

At the instance of Mr. Monroe, efforts were made to open the doors 
of the Senate Chamber to the public, on suitable occasions, and to order 
the construction of " a gallery " for the purpose. This attempt was 
made in February, 1791, but it was not successful. It was renewed 
at the next following session of Congress, and with similar results ; nor 
was it practically effected till 1795 ; in that year, a small gallery was 
erected for the use of spectators, running along the northern side of the 
chamber." 1 

i This gallery remained till Friday, the 24th of July, 1835, when the County Com- 
missioners commenced some alteration in this chamber to conform to its use as a 
court-room. In removing the gallery and its accompanying wood-work adornments 
" a number of small pilasters ornamented," saysa contemporary news-sheet', " with 
stucco work, were taken down; one of these pilasters Avas discovered bearing upon 



146 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

THE CITY HALL. 

The original " Towne Hall " was built long enough, ere Philadel- 
phia was incorporated, to earn its name. We have already glanced at 
its occupation. It attained to very nearly the centennial anniversary 
of its erection when its successor was called into existence. 

The first charter of incorporation of the City of Philadelphia bears 
date October 25, 1701. It was issued under the great seal of the 
Province and the sign-manual of William Penn. 1 

William Penn himself nominated the first Mayor, Recorder, Alder- 
men, and Common Councilmen, and granted to them amongst other 
privileges that of electing others to supply vacancies, and even to 
increase their own number at pleasure. The public grounds were 
granted to them by the title of the Mayor and Commonalty of the 
city of Philadelphia; but it was said that the Commonalty had. no 
share in the government or estate of the city, the whole body being 
self-elective and not accountable to the citizens in any respect. 

Tradition informs us that the charter of the city of Bristol, in Eng- 
land, from which many of the early settlers came, formed the model of 
the Philadelphia charter. " The Commonalty " soon evinced dissatis- 

its back, unseen for forty years, an inscription in pencil mark, intended no doubt to 
hand down to posterity the name of the youthful journeyman carpenter, just out of 
his apprenticeship, by whom it was executed. This pilaster has fallen temporarily 
into our hands, and we are determined that the author of the record shall not be dis r 
appointed. If he be still living, we give him joy; if he be dead and has left posterity 
the pilaster ought of right to belong to them, and we will use our influence with the 
owner to obtain it for the proper person if he will apply to us. The inscription is 
as .follows : ' Henry Clayton, son of William Clayton born June "27th, 1774, and 
ao-ed twenty-one years and six months. George Forepaugh master-carpenter of the 
work of this gallery, November 14, 1795." 

The same writer goes on to state : " Among the time honored lumber which has 
been turned out of the chamber in question, we observe four beautiful Doric columns 
of wood which supported the gallery, in a perfect state of preservation ; and should 
any of our readers desire to build a summer house with these valuable relics, he 
could no doubt buy them cheap of the County Commissioners, Avho probably intend 
them to go into the cellar, amongst a mass of other wood- work to kindle fires with, 
adding another proof to the many existing, that ' sic transit gloria mundi.' " 

Notice is hereby given by the Committee on Restoration of Independence Hall, 
that these columns are very much desired by them towards the restoration of Con- 
gress Hall, if any party then had sufficient foresight to act upon the editor's above 
suggestion. No trace of them remains in the cellar of the building. 

1 This document is now carefully preserved and exhibited in the National Mu- 
seum of Independence Hall. 



THE CITY HALL. 147 

faction ; they made frequent complaints to the Assembly of the abuses 
that were practiced under the city government ; many appear upon the 
minutes of the House, notwithstanding which, at this early period, the 
legislative powers granted by the charter were very limited. They 
could not levy taxes for any use whatever, and could employ the in- 
come of the city estates for its use and embellishment only. Two 
separate bodies were constituted by the names of the City Wardens 
and Street Commissioners, to the former of whom, the lighting and 
watching, and to the latter the paving of the streets was committed. 
The Mayor, or Recorder, and four of the Aldermen concurring with 
each body, in laying the taxes and prescribing the mode of expend- 
ing them ; and thus the city legislation for these purposes became 
compounded of two branches. The Wardens and Commissioners, im- 
mediately elected by the people in the same manner as their represent- 
atives in Assembly, constituted the popular, and the Mayor and 
Aldermen the conservative branch. These bodies met in the Town 
Hall or Court House, on Market Street at corner of Second. They 
transacted the business committed to them with great harmony. The 
taxes are said to have been laid with equality, collected with modera- 
tion, and expended for the real use and improvement of the city. 

The Mayor's Court was always filled with an able lawyer for the 
Recorder, 1 and another for the prosecution of criminal offences ; and 
such was the orderly and upright administration of justice in it, that 
no court in the Province, or perhaps in any other country, exceeded it. 

The Revolutionary War broke out and soon transformed " the 
Province" into "the State of Pennsylvania." 

The Assembly on the 14th of March, 1777, passed an Act, which, 
after reciting that by the change of government the powers of the 
Mayor, Recorder, and Aldermen had ceased, specifically dispensed 
with their authority in certain cases, where their concurrence had 
been made necessary by statute, and, on the 21st of March of the 
same year, they passed another Act, the preamble of which declared 
that the late Revolution had divested all powers and jurisdictions, not 
founded on the authority of the people only, and it provided, that the 
President and Executive Council should appoint judges of a City, in 



1 The Recorders were, - 
1701. Thomas Story. 
1704. David Lloyd. 
1707. Robert Assheton. 
1726. Andrew Hamilton. 



1741. William Allen. 

1750. Tench Francis. 

1755. Benjamin Chew. 

1789. Alexander Wilcocks 



148 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

lieu of the Mayor's, Court, and further authorized them to appoint 
the city officers immediately needed, " until the public tranquility 
shall be so far established as to afford leisure for making some more 
permanent regulation." 

This was not done, however, until 11th of March, 1789, when the 
Legislature of Pennsylvania saw fit to grant corporate powers to " the 
Mayor, Aldermen, and Citizens of Philadelphia." 

The preamble of the Act stamps the general system, and regulations 
in use, as ineffectual in providing for the order, safety, and happiness 
of the people ; inadequate, to the suppression of vice and immorality, 
to the advancement of the public health and order, and the promotion 
of trade and industry ; it is therefore " necessary to invest the inhab- 
itants thereof with more speedy, vigorous, and effective powers of gov- 
ernment." The municipal authority was vested in two branches 
though they sat and deliberated together. 

A Board of Aldermen, fifteen in number, to serve for seven years, 
to be elected by the people ; the Mayor to be chosen annually by the 
Board out of its own number. 

A Common Council, to be composed of thirty members, and to be 
elected every three years. 

A Recorder, to be elected by the Maj T or and Aldermen. A Mayor's 
Court was established as a Court of Record, to consist of the Mayor 
or Recorder and three Aldermen, with specific powers as a Court of 
Quarter Sessions, etc., etc., and with right to writ of error directly to 
the Supreme Court. 

To provide suitable apartments for these dignitaries it now became 
necessary to erect the City or " Common Hall," at the southeast corner 
of Fifth and Chestnut streets. Prompt measures were taken to this 
end. 

To help the work along, a lottery was authorized in March, 1789. 
The preamble to the act recites the fact, that the buildings, already 
erected on the public or State House Square, were not only orna- 
mental to the city, but have been found very convenient, and useful, 
for the accommodation of the Congress of the United States, for hold- 
ing the sessions of the General Assemblies, Councils, Conventions, and 
such other bodies as the exigencies of this State have, from time to 
time, required ; that the city is possessed of a lot, corresponding with 
that upon which the County Court House has been lately built, that 
the taxes already levied are exceedingly heavy, and any additional 
burden would be improper, etc., etc. A lottery is hence instituted, 
and ordered to be drawn under the authority of the Mayor, etc., 



THE CITY HALL. 149 

twelve thousand five hundred tickets .directed to be prepared, and 
specific directions given as to their form, price, method of drawing, 
etc., etc. Three thousand six hundred and eighty-seven were to be 
prize tickets, ranging from six dollars to three thousand, and in the 
aggregate fifty thousand dollars — twenty per cent, whereof, or ten 
thousand dollars, was the sum to be gained. Dickinson College, whose 
funds were recited as inadequate for the intended purposes, was to 
share in the benefits of the lottery to the extent of one-fifth, — two 
thousand dollars. 

The building seems to have been finished in the Fall of 1791. 

One of its chambers, at least, was at once appropriated to national 
purposes. The large back room on the second floor, subsequently 
known as the " Common Council Chamber," seems to have been re- 
linquished to, — the always most august body of the Union, — the 
Supreme Court of the United States. Its first session was held here 
On the first Monday (7th) of February, 1791. 

John Jay presided as Chief Justice, with — 



John Rutledge, 
William Cushing, 
James Wilson, 



John Blalr, 
James Iredell, 

Associate Justices. 



John Rutledge and Oliver Ellsworth, 1 as Chief Justices, also 
sat in this chamber, while 



Bushrod Washington, 
Samuel Chase, 
Thomas Johnson, 



William Paterson, 

and 
Alfred Moore, 



were all Associate Justices during the period in this building. Its 
last session in Philadelphia terminated on the 15th of August, 
1800. 

Partly probably in recognition of this use, and partly for providing 
the President's House, the State Legislature reimbursed the City, in 
common with the County, for the additional outlay in accommodating 
the National Government. 

The Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council, at this time, sat 
together as one body, and seem to have occupied the large back room, 
also used for the Mayor's Court, on first floor, adjoining which, on 
the western side, was the Mayor's private office and on the eastern 
two offices for other city officials. 

1 John Marshall was appointed Chief Justice, 27th January, 1801, and thus was 
the first Chief Justice of the Court at its session in Washington City. 



150 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 



The Supreme Court of the State also held its sessions in this build- 
ing, from the time of its completion, and most probably, interchange- 
ably with the Supreme Court of the United States, in the same 
chamber. The sessions of the latter, at this period, were only of a 
few days duration, each. 

In 1796, on the 4th April, an Act was passed which created, for 
municipal control, two distinct bodies, in order, says the preamble, 
that the charter of incorporation " may be rendered more similar to 
the frame of government of this Commonwealth." Twenty persons 
to be elected to the Common Council to serve for one year, with 
qualifications the same as Members of the House of Representatives of 
Pennsylvania, and twelve persons for Select Council to serve for three 
years, except as modified by the requirements of the first period of 
service, in order to effect a change of one third of their number in 
every year. 

The eastern room in the second story, used in 1876 by clerks of 
councils, was apparently appropriated to the Select Branch, while the 
opposite room was given to the Common. After the Supreme Court 
of the United States was transferred to the federal capital, its large 
chamber was relinquished to the Common Council, 1 and the eastern 
chamber adjoining, to the Select. These apartments were respectively 
retained by them until " consolidation," in 1854, of the old u City 
proper," with the adjoining Districts and Suburbs. The large increase 
of members thence resulting made larger quarters necessary, and the 
second floor of the main 'building — "Independence Hall" — was 
completely remodeled, essentially as we have it in 1876. 

The Mayors from the time of the occupation of this building 
wei-e, — 



1791. John Barclay. 

1792. Matthew Clarkson. 
1796. Hilary Baker. 
1798. Robert Wharton. 

1800. John Inskeep. 

1801. Matthew Lawler. 

1805. John Inskeep. 

1806. Robert Wharton. 
1808. John Barker. 
1810. Robert Wharton. 



1811. Michael Keppele. 

1812. John Barker. 

1813. John Geyer. 

1814. Robert Wharton. 

1819. James N. Barker. 

1820. Robert Wharton. 
1824. Joseph Watson. 

1828. George M. Dallas. 

1829. Benj. W. Richards. 

1830. William Milnor. 



1 Thus the Supreme Court of the State was again the victim of circumstances 
until, in 1802, Independence Chamber itself was given up for their use. 



MAYORS AND RECORDERS. 



151 



1831. Benj. W. Richards. 

1832. John Swift. 

1838. Isaac Roach. 

1839. John Swift. 1 
1841. John M. Scott. 

1844. Peter McCall. 

1845. John Swift. 



1849. Joel Jones. 

1850. Charles Gilpin. 
1854. Robert T. Conrad. 2 
1856. Richard Vaux. 
1858. Alexander Henry. 
1865. Morton McMichael. 
1868. Daniel M. Fox. 



1871-76. William S. Stokley. 1 



Tl 


ie Recorders have been Alexj 


mder "V 


Wilcocks, from 1791 to 1800. 


Alexander J. Dallas, 1801. Moses Levy, 1802. Mahlon Dickerson, 


1808 


Joseph Reed, 1810. 






1 First Mayor elected by the people. 






2 First Mayor upon consolidation of 


"the Liberties" etc., with the old city 


proper. 






3 Their Predecessors were " The First Mayor 


' Edward Shippen, 1701. 


1703. 


Anthony Morris. 


1742. 


William Till. 


1704. 


Griffith Jones. 


1743. 


Benjamin Shoemaker. 


1705. 


Joseph Wilcocks. 


1744. 


Edward Shippen. 


1706. 


Nathan Stanbury. 


1745. 


James Hamilton. 


1707. 


Thomas Masters. 


1746. 


William Atwood. 


1709. 


Eichard Hill. 


1748. 


Charles Willing. 


1710. 


William Carter. 


1749. 


Thomas Lawrence. 


1711. 


Samuel Preston. 


1750. 


William Plumsted. 


1712. 


Jonathan Dickinson. 


1751. 


Robert Strettell. 


1713. 


George Roch. 


1752. 


Benjamin Shoemaker. 


1714. 


Richard Hill. 


1753. 


Thomas Lawrence. 


1717. 


Jonathan Dickinson. 


1754. 


Charles Willing. 


1719. 


William Fishbourne. 


1755. 


William Plumsted. 


1722. 


James Logan. 


1756. 


Atwood Shute. 


1723. 


Clement Plumsted. 


1758. 


Thomas Lawrence. 


1724. 


Isaac Norris. 


1759. 


John Stamper. 


1725. 


William Hudson. 


1760. 


Benjamin Shoemaker. 


1726. 


Charles Read. 


1761. 


Jacob Duche. 


1727. 


Thomas Lawrence. 


1762. 


Henry Harrison. 


1729. 


Thomas Griffitts. 


1763. 


Thomas Willing. 


1731. 


Samuel Hassul. 


1764. 


Thomas Lawrence. 


1733. 


Thomas Griffitts. 


1765. 


John Lawrence. 


1734. 


Thomas Lawrence. 


1767.. 


Isaac Jones. 


1735. 


William Allen. 


1769. 


Samuel Shoemaker. 


1736. 


Clement Plumsted. 


1771. 


John Gibson. 


1737. 


Thomas Griffitts. 


1773. 


William Fisher. 


1738. 


Anthony M. Morris. 


1774. 


Samuel Rhoads. 


1739. 


Edward Roberts. 


1775. 


Samuel Powel. 


1740. 


Samuel Hassel. 


1789. 


Samuel Powel. 


1741. 


Clement Plumsted. 


1790. 


Samuel Miles. 



152 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 



PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY BUILDING. 

Shortly after the acquisition, by the Colonial authorities, of the 
whole of the State House Square, the Library Company of Phila- 
delphia had petitioned the Legislature for the grant of a lot, where- 
upon to erect a suitable building. The rapid increase of their stock 
of books demanded more space than that already given them, in the 
chamber of the western wing of the State House, which the Legislature 
had allowed them to use since 1740. No action was taken, at that 
time, by the Assembly, and a second effort, after its junction, in 1769, 
with the Union and the Association Library Companies, met with a 
similar fate. 

The petition of the Library Company was quickly followed by a 
similar application from the American Philosophical Society, who 
" needed a commodious Building, suitable to meet in and to deposit 
the curiosities of Nature and Art, which are or may be transmitted, 
etc." They expressed the hope of being able " to execute their plan, 
in a degree that would be beneficial to their country, and do honor 
to their city," etc. 

A joint petition from both corporations to the same effect was re- 
fused by the Assembly in September, 1784. 

When at the close of that year, however, plans for the improvement 
of the Square were being agitated, the Philosophical Society renewed 
its application for a lot, and now undertook to specify the location 
desired by them. The application having been favorably entertained, 
a Bill was presented on the 23d of December, and though it met with 
considerable opposition in the House, and the Library Company peti- 
tioned against such discrimination, the Bill was finally passed, thirty- 
six to twenty-five, and duly " enacted " March 28, 1785. x 

1 The law itself — not reprinted in the Laws of Pennsylvania — is entitled " The 
Act for vesting in the Philosophical Society," etc., etc. 

'■'■Whereas, It is expedient and proper to give all due encouragement to societies 
established for the purpose of advancing the arts and sciences and promulgating 
useful knowledge; and whereas it hath been represented to us by the incorporated 
Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia that for the better answering the purpose 
of their institution it is necessary that they should have a public Hall, Library, and 
other accommodations: and whereas the said society have prayed us to grant to them 
and their successors a lot of ground suitable and convenient for erecting a hall and 
other buildings necessary for their accommodation; therefore: 

" II. Be it enacted, etc. That a certain lot or piece of ground, being part of the 
State House Square, situated on the west side of Fifth Street and beginning ninety- 
six feet southward from Chestnut Street, and thence extending along Fifth Street 



PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY BUILDING. 153 

The lot granted was located on Fifth Street, immediately in the 
rear of that allotted for the city buildings. The grantees were strictly 
restrained from selling, transferring, or even leasing it, and the build- 
ings to be erected thereon were to be applied exclusively " to the ac- 
commodation of the said Society." 1 No time was lost. An appeal for 
aid was at once made to the friends of the Society. 

"Inasmuch as useful knowledge is always an object of first' consideration 
among an enlightened aud free People ; and as the American Philosophical 
Society was Instituted for the express purpose of cultivating such branches 
thereof as have an immediate tendency to advance the Agriculture, Manufac- 
tures, and Commerce of this Country; as well as to pursue more deep and re- 
fined disquisitions in the held of Nature. And whereas their proceedings and 
success have been heretofore, and still are, greatly impeded through waut of a 
suitable place to meet in, and proper Repositories for their Books, Apparatus, 
and various Communications, Donations, &c. To remedy which, the General 
(Assembly of this Commonwealth have, by a special Act, granted and con- 
tinned to the said Society and their Successors a very convenient Lot of ground, 
being part of the State House Square." 

A liberal subscription was promptly made in July, in order with 
" all practicable Expedition, to enable a Committee, which is ap- 

aforesaid seventy feet south towards Walnut Street, thence westwardly on the 
State House Square fifty feet, thence northward on a line parallel to Fifth Street 
seventy feet, and thence eastward fifty feet to the place of beginning, shall and 
hereby is given and granted to and vested in the American Philosophical Society 
held at Philadelphia for promoting useful knowledge to have and to hold the said 
lot of ground to the said American Philosophical Society and their successors for- 
ever; for the purpose of erecting thereon a hall, library, and such other buildings or 
apartments as the said Society may think necessary for their proper accommodation. 

"III. Provided always, and it is the intention and meaning of this act that the 
said lot of ground shall not be sold, leased or transferred by the said Philosophical 
Society or their successors to any other person or persons or bodies corporate, nor 
shall the same be applied by the said Society to any other use or purpose but that 
of erecting buildings for the accommodation of the said Society as hereinbefore 
specified. 

" Enacted March 28th, 1785." 

1 In the fall following, the Society presented a petition to the Assembly, setting 
forth " that the ground was found to be so high, and the sand so deep, as to admit 
the having a range of vaults with a range of stores thereon under the buildings in- 
tended for the accommodation " of the Society, and therefore prayed for power to 
lease the stores and vaults when completed, and also such apartments as would not 
be wanted for the immediate use of the Society for such purposes as might bear 
affinity with, or tend to promote, the design of the Institution. This privilege was 
not accorded until March 17, 1786, and it was then restricted to such purposes as 
have an affinity with the design of their institution, and no other. 



154 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

pointed for the purpose, to construct a neat, sufficient Building, on 
the ground aforesaid." 

Dr. Franklin subscribed one hundred pounds, and Samuel Vaughan 
fifty. Upon the subscription list are to be found the names of James 
Wilson, Bishop White, Rev. Samuel Magaw ; Doctors Rush, Hutch- 
inson, Samuel Powel Griffitts, Parke and Kuhn ; David Rittenhouse, 
John Vaughan and Samuel Vaughan, Jonathan Bayard Smith, Jared 
Ingersoll, William Bradford, Levi Hollingsworth, John Carson, and 
other public-spirited citizens of the day. 

Ground was at once broken, and the Society took possession about 
1787-88, of its finished building. 

PEALE'S MUSEUM. 

The chambers on the lower floor of the Hall of the Philosophical 
Society were occupied by Charles Wilson Peale, in 1794. Here he 
placed his Museum and practiced his profession as an artist. This 
Museum was the first established in America, and was started by Mr. 
Peale almost immediately after the Independence of the United States 
had been formally acknowledged by Great Britain. Having studied 
with Hesselius, Copley, and West, Mr. Peale had acquired considerable 
talent at portrait-painting, and he set himself to work, — before Trum- 
bull seems to have thought of it, — to preserve the likenesses of the 
heroes of the war. He was also something of a naturalist, and had 
formed quite a collection of natural history subjects. Some bones of 
the Mammoth and the Paddle-fish gave him his first start, in 1785. 
Mr. Westcott tells us that " the collection was at first located in a 
diminutive frame-house connected with his dwelling at the corner of 
Third and Lombard Streets." 

After the removal to the Philosophical Society, " Mr. Peale was 
constantly engaged in adding to the value and interest of his collec- 
tions by the labor of his own hands." Many of the portraits known as 
" the Peale Collection," were painted while in this building. Wash- 
ington himself here sat to him, and simultaneously to his brother and 
two sons, giving rise to the bon-mot of a Philadelphia punster on meet- 
ing Mrs. Washington, who mentioned the fact to him, " Madam, the 
President will be peeled all round, if he don't take care." 

It is also stated that Mr. Peale started a Zoological Garden, in the 
rear of the Hall. Besides the wild beasts in the enclosure, an Ameri- 
can Eagle * was exhibited in a large cage, on which was this inscrip- 
tion, " Feed me daily, one hundred years." 

1 This identical eagle, carefully stuffed, ere yet tbe hundred years had elapsed, is 




Charles Wilson Peale. 



PE ALE'S MUSEUM. 155 

The accommodations here proving inadequate for his largely in- 
creasing stock of curiosities, Mr. Peale made application to the Legis- 
lature for the use of the State House. Accordingly, in 1802, the whole 
of the second floor, together with Independence Chamber itself, were 
granted to him rent free. At the request, however, of the Supreme 
Court of the State he relinquished Independence Chamber for their 
use. 

Under date of April 9, 1802, he writes to a friend in Baltimore : 
" I am excessively busy in preparing the State House of this city to 
place my Museum therein. The Legislature having made me a grant 
of it during their pleasure, and which it will not be difficult for me to 
transform to during my pleasure, 1 as the increase and improvement 
of this School of Nature shall become so much the favorite of the 
Public and the utility made manifest to all men, so that further aid 
will also follow. It ought to be national property, since it is truly 
f£ national good, and requires, and is well deserving, an appropriation 
of greater funds than an individual can afford." 

Mr. Peale now gave up his profession and devoted himself to the 
permanent establishment and enlargement of his Museum. 

In the '• long gallery," or banqueting hall, he placed his Portrait 
Gallery of distinguished people, painted from the life, chiefly by him- 
self and by his son Rembrandt Peale. These were arranged in two 
rows over the cases. The latter, about twelve feet in height, contained 
a large collection of birds, duly classified and arranged, according to 
Linnaeus's system ; while, in the background, was the scenery appro- 
priate to each, — mountains, plains, water, etc. The genus and species 
were noted in the Latin, English, and French languages. 

Insects, properly classified, were also here exhibited ; and those " too 
small to be examined with the naked eye are placed in microscopic 
wheels." A perfect skeleton of the mammoth which had been found 
in New York, " after great exertion " was obtained and placed in one 
of the ante-chambers. " The Marine Room " contained many am- 
phibious animals, as well as every variety of fishes, while the tops of 
their cases were ornamented " with artificial rock- work supporting 
corals, sea-fans, and other marine productions." Minerals and fossils 
were also displayed, arranged according to Kirwan. " Among the 
clays," says Mr. Peale, " are some American specimens, equal to those 

now in the National Museum of Independence Hall, and to many of the old gentle- 
men of to-day, reviving as it does their childish recollections of " the first Zoo," it 
forms a highly interesting feature. 

1 Mr. Peale, as will be seen, retained the building until his death. 



156 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 



of which the finest porcelain is made in China or France ; various fine 
colored earths proper for pigments ; a variety of handsome crystals 
and precious stones, among which is the North American topaz.' ' 

No essential change in the building was made, for the occupancy by 
Peale, for his Museum. He constructed, however, a room over the 
stairway in the main hall, of a temporary character, in which he pre- 
pared subjects and deposited the stores of duplicates, intended for ex- 
change for subjects from other quarters of the globe, and also the 
library of natural history, etc. After acquisition of the property by 
the city, the authorities required the removal of this room, on account 
of the injury caused to the architectural beauties of the stairway; but, 
as he urged, that it was an indispensable appendage for the necessary 




work and improvement of the Museum " which is always receiving and 
possessing valuable articles of natural history, which require our ut- 
most exertions to find place for their display in proper order, without 
this room, the Museum cannot be improved or even maintained; it is 
confessed to be a valuable repository for diffusing knowledge to the 
citizens generally, and also an attractive inducement to strangers to 
visit and spend their money amongst us." This protest, it is believed 
was effectual; the little room was not removed until Mr. Peale's 
death, upon the reconstruction of the steeple. 

A sign-board " Museum " was placed over the front door. 

The city authorities, in March, 1812, asked permission of the Legis- 
lature, and were allowed to remove a portion of the wings, including 
the arcades and the connecting square offices, and to construct build- 
ings for the public uses of the day. This was accomplished in 1813. 



PURCHASE BY THE CITY. 157 

The new buildings were carefully planned, and erected by Robert 
Mills, the architect, and as consistent with the symmetry and architec- 
ture of the State House and corner buildings as their general needs 
admitted, the same line of exterior walls was nearly preserved, except 
as to the recess immediately adjoining the main building, which was 
widened towards Walnut Street. This closed the two southernmost 
doors in Independence Chamber and in the Judicial Chamber. The 
only relic, then in consequence removed, was the case of the old clock; 
the case itself was modified and suffered to remain till 1828. 1 

Within a few years after this was effected, under an act of the 
Legislature of March 11, 1816, the city of Philadelphia became the 
actual owner of the whole property. The deed of sale was formally 
executed June 29, 1818, for and in consideration of the sum of seventy 
thousand dollars. [Recorded in the office of Recorder of Deeds for 
City of Philadelphia, in Deed Book MR., No. 20, p. 241.] 

The State reserved in favor of the Philosophical Society the rights 
already granted to that body ; the public interests were not over- 
looked, but a restriction was laid upon the grantees " that no part of 
said ground lying to the southwai'd of the State House, within the 
wall as it is now built, be made use of for erecting any sort of build- 
ings thereon ; but the same shall be and remain a public green and 
walk forever." 

Several changes seem to have taken place at this time. 

Congress Hall was slightly modified (no doubt the entrance on 
Sixth Street was then constructed), and fitted up for the Supreme 
Court of the State, which since 1802 had been sitting in Independ- 
ence Chamber. The Hall of Representatives, or a part thereof on 
the first floor, was assigned to the District Court of the City and 
County of Philadelphia, a tribunal at one time as highly respected as 
the Supreme Court, and which probably sat from its organization, 
in 1811, in the Colonial Supreme Court Room ; this latter at the time 
of the purchase by the city seems to have been relinquished to the 
Mayor's Court. 2 

1 In January, 1830, upon petition from citizens, this clock, together with the old 
hell — the second one imported from England, — were given to the congregation of 
St. Augustine's Church in North Fourth Street, with the right reserved to the 
municipality to reclaim the same should it be so determined. They were both de- 
stroyed by fire with the church. 

2 It may be as well to note here that this chamber was afterwards used by the 
Court of Common Pleas, a bench once occupied by Oswald Thompsox, as Chief 
Justice, a great jurist, an upright judge, a pure man, and an accomplished gentle- 



158 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

The United States Circuit and District Courts seem generally to 
have occupied the old United States Senate Chamber, while it is likely 
the old Court of Common Pleas, after the demolition of the Court 
House, on Market Street, had, up to this time, exclusive possession of 
the old Hall of Representatives. 

Few of the associations, since the city's ownership, are calculated 
to increase our attachment to this venerated building. 

In 1824, Lafayette visited Philadelphia. It was considered appro- 
priate that Independence Chamber should be fitted up to enable him 
to formally receive the citizens. This was accordingly done, though 
apparently more in a mode to suit the notions of the day, than with 
any effort to recall the memories of 1776. 1 Still the selection of the 
place was fruitful of results, for attention was thus again drawn to the 
State House, and upon what was nearly the centennial of the date 
of its erection, a resolution was introduced in the Common Council, 
which led to a partial restoration of the building. 

Messrs. Francis Gurney Smith and Benjamin Tilghman, of Com- 
mon Council, and Manuel Eyre and John W. Thompson, of the Select 
Council, were appointed a committee to carry out the resolution of- 
fered by the first named : — 

"Resolved, by the Select and Common Councils, That a joint committee of 
two members from each Council be appointed, to have the turret in the rear 
of the State House surveyed, and, if found adapted to the purpose, to procure 
a plan and estimate of the cost of carrying it up to a height sufficient to place 
a clock and bell therein, to be called the ' City Clock,' from which the time 
for the whole city can be regulated." 2 

Messrs. William Strickland, Daniel Groves, John O'Neill, and John 
Struthers, practical architects and builders, were accordingly called 
upon to survey the building and submit plans and estimates, on 14th 
February, 1828. They accordingly stated to the Committee, that 
having examined the square tower, in the rear of the State House, 
with reference to its strength and capability of supporting a super- 
structure, they found that the foundation walls were three feet in 
thickness at the base, and eighteen inches at the top, being carried up 

1 The wooden statue of Washington, carved by William Rush, so celebrated for 
his figure-heads to ships, was now placed in this chamber on deposit. 

2 The desire to have a clock and bell upon this occasion, led to a result most 
gratifying to the next generation. We will hope that the present effort to super- 
sede these for reasons best known to the projectors, may not be a source of regret 
to the present or succeeding generations. 



RESTORATION OF STEEPLE. 159 

with good substantial brick-work, to the height of sixty-nine feet, 
having regular offsets on the outside at each of the stories. The 
walls of the upper story are thirty-one feet square, being tied to- 
gether with girders ; and a strong trussed framing of oak and gum 
timber ; that no departure from stability then appeared in any part 
of the building, except a slight crack in the southern face of the wall, 
immediately over the arch of the large Venetian window, which must 
have occurred shortly after the tower was built ; that it had been 
caused by the opening of the window being so great, as to throw the 
largest portion of the weight of the walls toward the external angles 
of the tower ; they stated their opinion, however, that this circum- 
stance did not at all affect the strength of the building, and that two 
stories of brick- work, eighteen inches in thickness, and comprising 
about twenty- eight or thirty feet in height, could be added to the 
existing walls with perfect safety ; and " by a continuation of the 
t framing alluded to, connecting it with strong diagonal girders, attached 
by iron clamps to the walls of each of these stories, a wooden cupola 
and spire," they go on to say, " could be firmly and easily con- 
structed." 

This statement and opinion were submitted by the Committee, ac- 
cordingly, to Councils, and they reported that they had also received 
a proposal from Mr. Isaiah Lukens, to make a clock for the city, and 
a proposal from Mr. John Wilbank to cast a bell, to be placed in the 
cupola of the turret. That the expenses of carrying up the turret 
according to the plan proposed, of which a drawing by Mr. Strick- 
land was submitted, and stated to be in fact a restoration of the 
spire originally erected with the building, and standing there on 4th 
July, 1776, and putting a clock and bell therein would be : — 

Expenses of carrying up the Turret and Cupola .... $8,000 

« " Clock . 2,000 

" " Bell, 4,000 lbs. at 45 cts., $1,800 

(Allowed for old Bell $400) .... 1,400 

$11,400 

Cost of painting Turret and incidental expenses .... 600 

Total estimate $12,000 

" The value of the old clock," say they, " is left out of view, as 
from its age and condition, it is not considered of more value than old 
metal, except the dials, which might be used for the new clock, and an 
allowance made for them by the maker. 

" In making this report to Councils, your committee are impressed 



160 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

with the necessity of having a uniform time for the city, which would 
be obtained, by having a good clock under the superintendence of a 
careful person. 

" The carrying up of the turret would also contribute greatly to the 
ornament of our city, which is so deficient in embellishments, which 
in other cities, are considered as indispensable. From what your com- 
mittee have learned since their appointment, the carrying into effect 
of the plan proposed by them, would meet the approbation of the city 
at large, and is anxiously and heartily wished for by all. Your com- 
mittee do not deem it necessary to expatiate upon the utility that the 
accomplishment of the object before you would be in case of fires, in 
affording an opportunity of discovering them, and giving the alarm in 
a much more effectual manner than at present." 

The committee, therefore, asked that they be authorized to perfect, 
and carry out, the plan submitted. The discussion which ensued 
shows how the prevalence of a more correct taste and due apprecia- 
tion of Independence Hall, among the citizens of Philadelphia, was 
beginning to exercise its legitimate effect upon Councils. 

The chairman, in enforcing the passage of the resolution, stated that 
the citizens of Philadelphia seemed to be unanimous in regard to the 
proposed improvement, and he hoped a like unanimity would be 
found to prevail in Councils. 

Mr. Wayne objected to the question being hastily decided. He 
doubted if the tower would sustain as heavy a superstructure as it 
was proposed to raise on it. The clock, then in use, might well last 
for fifty years. 

Mr. Tilghman said : " If there is anything proverbial, it is the bad- 
ness of the clock at the State House. It is an excusing not a regu- 
lating clock. It is a clock which affords no rule to go by, but a rule 
not to go by, for everybody knows it can never go right." He stated 
that " the plan of Mr. Strickland had been preferred, on account of its 
being a restoration of the old steeple. If there were a spot on earth, 
on which space might be identified with holiness, it would be the spot 
on which the old State House stands. It is a sacred spot, a sacred 
building." He also expressed his regret that unhallowed hands had 
ever been permitted to touch it, and regarded the rebuilding of the 
steeple as an entering wedge for restoring the building to the state in 
which it stood in 1776. 

Mi\ Smith said he must correct the error of his friend. " The plan 
of rebuilding coincides with the original plan as far as is possibly con- 
sistent with durability, and the use for which the steeple is intended. 



RESTORATION OF STEEPLE. 161 

Two stones of brick-work are substituted for the wood-work, which 
used to be a part of the superstructure of the present tower." Brick, 
he stated, had been preferred to wood to prevent a vibration which 
would damage the clock as a time-keeper ; and to bear the great 
weight of the bell ; "I would prefer" he continued, "rebuilding the 
steeple exactly according to the original plan, but that would not be 
possible if an improved clock and bell are to be placed therein." The 
cupola and spire he claimed to be exact copies of the original. 

Mr. Troth remarked that regard to his own character compelled 
him to say that the plan submitted was not a copy of the original 
steeple. " That was very handsome, this is very far from being so. 
By carrying up the turret two stories higher with brick, without any 
offsets, instead of the old wood-work, the effect of the original is en- 
tirely destroyed. Our character is at stake as men of taste and as 
admirers of antiquity, and I hope we will not proceed hastily in this 
^business." 

Mr. Lowber : " So far from being an ornament to the city, it would 
be a deformity ; so far from recalling to mind the venerable pile that 
stood on the spot, it would efface the remembrance of it altogether. 
It is not the ancient design. I would rejoice to see that building re- 
stored to its ancient state — to the precise state in which it was when 
the glorious event to which it owes its celebrity was consummated. 
But no man will be able to look at that building with its new (pro- 
posed brick) steeple and be able to persuade himself that it represents 
the ancient State House. If the original features of the building can- 
not be preserved, I would much rather the whole were demolished, 
that we might by some handsome monument point out the spot where 
the glorious Declaration of our National Independence was agreed 
upon." 

Mr. Tilghman : " No man shall ever say of me that I took advantage 
of the excitement of the moment to press through a favorite measure. 
I again say that I regard the rebuilding of the steeple as the entering 
wedge for restoring the building to its original state. The restoration 
of it is now possible, as persons are now living who remember the ex- 
act appearance of every part. Fifty years hence it will be impossible. 
The old door, the old roof, all the ancient characteristics of the 
building, might be restored at the expense of a few hundred dollars, 
and I, for one, am determined to make the effort." 

Mr. Walmsley had come to the Council Chamber prepared to vote 
for steeple, clock, and bell, but he was now convinced that carrying 
up the turret with two stories of brick would destroy the effect of the 
original plan. 



162 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Mr. Johnson had conversed with a number of respectable persons 
on the subject, and found them all in favor of the clock and bell, and 
careless of the expense of rebuilding the steeple, provided the build- 
ing were restored to its original form. He moved to postpone the 
further consideration of the resolution for the present. 

Mr. Smith said the Committee would like to know what the mem- 
bers of Council desired. 

Mr. Lowber had no difficulty in answering for himself : he wished to 
see the old steeple restored ; with two stories of brick work, to receive 
the clock and bell, but of precisely the same form as the old wood- 
work, and to be painted in resemblance of it. 

Mr. Smith replied this would be impossible, as the walls of the tur- 
ret are only eighteen inches in thickness at top ; it will not be practi- 
cable to make the different offsets in brick-work without carrying up 
a new wall from the foundation, inside of the present tower. 

Mr. Lowber : " I should like to know the expense of completing the 
steeple in this way. A picture of the original steeple has just been 
placed in my hand, that I may contrast it with the plan reported by 
the Committee. Why, no man who had ever seen the original, and 
who was called to look on the State House, with the new steeple, could 
believe he was in the same country ; he would suppose he was on a 
different side of the Atlantic. The ancient steeple was very handsome. 
This is a mammoth chimney — so it would be called if it was ever 
erected — a straight mass of walls ; a short tower : there is no beauty, 
no symmetry about it." 

Fortunately the objections, thus made, prevailed. Another plan was 
obtained from Mr. Strickland, and adopted. In this, the two stories 
of brick ivere dispensed with, and the steeple restored very nearly to 
its original. Openings, however, for the four faces of the clock were 
made, and thus practically the views of both sides were accomplished. 

T he completion of the new steeple was celebrated upon 4th July, 
J 1 " a grand raising frolic was given, in the long room of the 

' to the workmen, and there was a very good time." Ac- 

/ogramme Lukens made the clock, and Wilbank, the bell, 
— the latter was completed and placed in position on 11th September 
following. It is stated that "" the dimensions of this bell were scien- 
tifically calculated previously to being cast, and so accurately, that the 
weight was in excess only seventy-five pounds, its total weight being 
4,275 pounds, and cost $1,923.75." 1 

1 This bell was short-lived, but like its great predecessor proved so unsatisfactory 



EFFORTS AT RESTORATION. 163 

This vaunt, however, is not sustained by the estimate submitted in 
advance to Councils, as its weight was to be 4,000 pounds. Still, as 
the increase, over the intended, weight of the original bell was but 
eighty pounds, it would not appear that our more modern bell-founder 
could plume himself on any progression in " scientific calculation " 
in the intervening seventy-five years. 

Mr. Lowber's words fell upon fallow ground, and we find that in 
July, 1830, petitions were sent to the Councils to restore the old Hall 
to its original condition, and to require for the future that the cham- 
ber should be used for " dignified purposes only." In the early part 
of the following year, a plan for restoring Independence Chamber was 
accordingly submitted to, and approved by, Councils. It was drawn by 
Mr. Haviland, and as he confined himself to the reinstating such por- 
tions of the paneling as had been removed (but fortunately preserved 
in the attic of the State House), and only eked out the missing portions 
cwhich, he assures us, were " trifling," the results are very satisfactory. 

Mr. Haviland, in his report to Thomas Kittera, Esq., dated March 
29, 1831, conceives, — though fortunately so imperfectly that he could 
not carry it out, — at the western end of the room a gallery forsooth, 
and, as if this did not open the Assembly or Congress sufficiently to the 
public, he further imagines, an arcade opening into the vestibule " on 
either side of the entrance, similar to the one through which you pass 
to the staircase." Two conceits, more antagonistic to the practice of 
the times, of " closed doors," could not well have been brought forth. 
The arcade is entirely irreconcilable to the finish of the vestibule, 
which has fortunately never'been tampered with. 

Disposition was now shown by Councils to adorn the chamber, and 
the first purchase was Rush's Statue of Washington, in the fall of 
this year. Mr. Rush states, in his application for the purchase, that he 
had executed it about 1812, and that he had frequently modeled Gen- 
eral Washington, in his life-time, as well in miniature as of life-size ; 
that this statue was the result of a labor of four months, and that he 
had been sixty years in the business. He winds up with the state- 
ment : " The figure is excavated, and saturated with oil, and will 
be as durable as any furniture, etc." His price was five hundred 
dollars. 

that Mr. Wilbank was required to cast another, which was placed in position De- 
cember 27, 1828. It weighed forty-six hundred pounds, and was struck for the first 
time at three o'clock, December 30, when was used the new arrangement of a ham- 
mer striking the hour by means of the clock-works. It is said that by New Year's 
day of 1829, the whole machinery was in perfect and satisfactory operation. 



164 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

At the close of 1882, Roberts Vaux and Thomas I. Wharton, a 
committee of a society formed for commemorating the landing of 
William Penn, presented to the city the full-length portrait of the 
Founder by Inman, and desired that it might be placed in Indepen- 
dence Hall. They expressed an earnest hope on the part of the 
Society, that a gallery of portraits of distinguished Pennsylvanians 
might be thus commenced. Councils cordially approved of the design 
of the Society, and authorized the portrait to be placed in the building. 

After these repairs and improvements to Independence Chamber 
were made, "it was no easy matter," says Mr. Westcott, in his " History 
of Philadelphia," " to obtain a sight of its interior. The key was in 
the custody of the janitor of the steeple, and that Caleb Quotemish 
sort of a functionary was expected to look out for fires, both by day 
and by night, to keep the building in order, to act as guardian of the 
sacred Hall, and to play the cicerone, to all strangers who made pil- 
grimages thither. It is no wonder, under these circumstances, that 
very few, of the many who desired to visit the spot, were ever gratified 
by accomplishing more than the obtaining of a peep through the key- 
hole." 

Upon " Consolidation " of the city of Philadelphia with its suburbs, 
in 1854, into one corporation, the City Hall was found too small for 
the accommodation of the Select and Common Councils. The second 
story of the State House was appropriated to their sessions. The 
Banqueting Hall, with its adjoining chambers, now disappear, and the 
three rooms are modified into two large chambers with intervening 
galleries for spectators. 

On the first floor, the judicial room, long used for the Mayor's 
Court, was appropriated to the Court of Common Pleas, while the 
former took possession of the Common Council Chamber in the old 
City Hall. 

Independence Chamber had for some time been used, upon occasion, 
for the courtesies of the city, extended either to the living or the dead 
whom the municipality " delighted to honor." At intervals it was 
thrown open to the public, and finally a janitor was appointed, and 
the room kept open, permanently, to gratify the increasing patriotic 
sentiment. The papers had announced in June, 1846, that u this 
sacred place is undergoing a thorough repairing, repainting, etc." 
The court fixtures have all been removed, and the old furniture dis- 
posed of ; a splendid outfit in furniture, including carpets, sofas, 
chairs, etc., are to be placed in it." Old Liberty Bell, which had long- 
been permitted to remain in dignified retirement in the tower, ever 




Independence Chamber 




»rior to Restoration. 

'ODDS AND BNps." 



PE ALE'S PORTRAITS. 165 

since the futile effort to restore its sound by enlarging the cause of its 
dissonance, 1 was taken from its scaffolding and lowered to the first 
floor. 

A massive pedestal of wood, ornamented by Roman fasces, liberty- 
caps, and festooned flags, was constructed in Independence Chamber, 
and the old Bell, with its tongue uprooted, and surmounted by Peale's 
Eagle, was placed upon it. 

Most opportunely in October, 1854, Mr. Peale's gallery of paintings 
was offered for sale at public auction. This same gallery, it will be 
remembered, formed part of Peale's Museum during its occupancy of 
the second floor of the State House. 

Earnest efforts were made to secure the whole collection for the city 
of Philadelphia, but failing in this, the agents who attended the sale 
succeeded in securing quite a number of historical portraits, among 
them thirteen of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. 

All the paintings then purchased were indiscriminately placed in 
Independence Chamber. From time to time, other purchases were 
made and numerous offerings were accepted by the city authorities. 
Besides the portraits, thus accumulated, the chamber became a store- 
house, a lumber-room for every variety of trash. As the writer had 
occasion to say when urging a reformation : " Occasionally a public- 
spirited citizen would be moved to present to the city a Portrait, a 
Photograph, a Bible, a casting, or a relic, — real or imaginary, — and 
it was at once stored in this room. The latter became a general re- 
ceptacle for framed resolutions of Councils, the abortive contribution 
to the Washington National Monument, — in fact it served as a liv- 
ing, ever ready, response to the often embarrassing question in Coun- 
cils, ' What shall we do with it ? ' 

" We had every reason to apprehend that the vehicle yclept Wash- 
ington's coach — which as such has clone noble duty at fairs or pro- 
cessions — would find its way or be thrust into this chamber, for 
here already was his leather colored horse, prancing over the door in 
such form and manner as might have justified the intervention of the 
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. While some of the 
portraits, though valuable as original paintings and as representing 

1 In 1846, it is said, in order to use it upon Washington's birth-day of that year, 
it was drilled out, but on attempting to ring it, the crack threatened to extend, and 
further tinkering was then abandoned. All sorts of chimerical projects have since 
been submitted to the committee in regard to it. Some have projected filling up the 
crack, that it might again be rung, and they undertook to "guarantee perfect suc- 
cess," while others have hail the actual temerity to ask the privilege to recast it I ! I 



166 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

men great and good in their various walks of life, their memories were 
actually contemned by right thinking people, from being thrust into 
positions which they could neither grace nor justify, other portraits 
again absolutely defiled the walls. Brant, the savage, above all others 
in Pennsylvania history, damned to eternal infamy ; Red-Jacket too, 
forsooth was here, — a whole batch of men of whom the catalogue 
could only say : ' of liberal education and excellent moral character ' ; 
the vilest daub and caricature of General Jackson (unfit for a tavern 
sign) ; the likeness of an obscure political agitator doing duty for 
Charles Lee, of Revolutionary notoriety ; lithographs of cooper-shop 
refreshment saloons, forged autographs, and fictitious relics." Thus 
were the walls defaced and the architectural beauties of the chamber 
marred or concealed. Not a single piece of furniture of its original 
equipment had been preserved within this chamber, except the fine 
old glass chandelier which alone had escaped the hands of the van- 
dals — the latter had even removed the pillars once supporting the 
ceiling. 1 

Such was the state of affairs when the writer conceived the design 
of effecting the restoration to Independence Chamber of its original 
furniture, and of ridding it of everything inconsistent with the memo- 
ries which alone should be recalled on visiting this sanctuary, en- 
couraging the latter by appropriate illustrations in portraiture. 

Upon the death of a near relative, he became the possessor of one 
of the original chairs used in the Hall in 1776, which had been pre- 
served in his family for sixty years in its original worn condition ; 2 
he determined to replace this, and to seek others. Upon an official 
visit to Harrisburg, at the close of the late civil war, he discovered in 
actual use in the Senate Chamber at the Capitol, two more of the 
original chairs, which he was able to identify, though they had been 
slightly changed by the elongation of their legs for the convenience of 
the Sergeants-at-arms : whereupon he applied to the then Governor 
(Curtin) to order them returned to Philadelphia, to the original 
Legislative chamber, from which they had been taken. This was 
eventually done. 

The Governor went further. He sent back to the Hall the identical 
chair originally made for the Speaker of the Assembly of Pennsylva- 
nia, the chair already referred to as used by Hancock, while President 
of Congress, and by Washington, while President of the Convention 

1 Possibly this was done during the " improvements" of 1828. 

2 It was presented by Mrs. William Meredith, the elder, a niece of Gouverneur 
Morris who secured it at the time the furniture was scattered. 



THE RESTORATION. 167 

which framed the Constitution of the United States ; with it came 
also the Speaker's table, which had also been in use during the session 
of Congress in 1776, and upon which the Declaration of Independence 
must itself have been signed by those who subscribed on August 2, 
1776. 

On visiting the Hall of the American Philosophical Society, the 
writer also discovered a chair, the exact counterpart of the Congres- 
sional chair of 1776, and already referred to as authenticated by tradi- 
tional statement and family possession. Upon the examination of the 
minutes of the Society, it was found that this second chair had been 
also authenticated and presented to the Society some forty years before 
by Francis Hopkinson, Esquire, the Clerk of United States District 
Court, in whose possession it had been since the disperseinent of the 
furniture of Independence Chamber. Thus was presented conclusive 
proof of the identity of both. The very existence of these four chairs 
c afforded the wherewithal for the conviction that such "restoration " 
as he then contemplated, was, in point of fact, feasible, whenever per- 
mission could be obtained to undertake the work. 

The approach of the one hundredth anniversary of the nation's 
birth seemed to offer the fitting opportunity. 

Plans for proper rejoicings and for the due celebration of the period 
were already organizing ; the claims of Philadelphia as the appro- 
priate place were being duly set forth and urged ; for was it not here 
that the event itself occurred which we were to celebrate ? Did not 
Philadelphia still possess the very building within whose walls the 
American Magna Charta was adopted ? Was it not here that the very 
Constitution itself was signed, and subsequently placed in practical 
operation during the administration of the first two Presidents ? It 
certainly seemed now that Philadelphia could best sustain these claims 
by showing a worthy and discriminating appreciation of this historic 
edifice, and a readiness to appropriate it to the nation to which be- 
longed the city of Penn. 

Thus, at last, the likelihood that official sanction might be gained, 
and that possible cooperation might, upon such grounds, be secured 
to attain the end. Influenced by this belief, a formal application for 
the needful permission was addressed to Councilman John L. Shoe- 
maker. This gentleman, as chairman of the Committee of Councils 
on the Centennial Celebration, was devoting every energy to insure 
success for an International Exposition of Industries at Philadelphia. 
He promptly appreciated the importance of the plan as submitted, not 
only intrinsically, but as an adjunct to the grand project he had 



168 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

himself undertaken. Through his aid, both in Committee and on 
the floor of Councils, the necessary authority was granted by ordi- 
nance, together with the requisite appropriation for repairs and alter- 
ations. 

Under the sanction of his Honor William S. Stokley, Mayor of Phil- 
adelphia, who has consistently fostered and protected the work of the 
committee appointed by him, the restoration of Independence Hall 
to its condition and appearance of 1776, is very nearly perfected, not 
only in its exterior, but in such equipment of the chamber as was 
contemporaneous with the events whose detail has herein been at- 
tempted. 

" The Philadelphia Press " of the 8th June, 1875, gives an account 
of the last and most important acquisition to Independence Chamber. 

" The Committee on Restoration of Independence Hall repaired to the 
chamber yesterday, where, in the presence of the Mayor, Hon. William S. Stok- 
ley, and a number of distinguished citizens, Col. Frank M. Etting, chairman of the 
committee, presented to the city, in presence of the Mayor, a Revolutionary 
relic of great value and significance. Col. Etting addressed his Honor as 
follows : — 

" Just three years have elapsed since your Honor placed in position the chair 
in which you are now sitting as the corner-stone of the restoration of Inde- 
pendence Hall. With your aid we have been sedulously engaged in collecting 
all articles that were used herein in 1776, but no one surpasses in interest the 
relic I now hold in my hands. It is the original silver inkstand made by order 
of the Assembly of Pennsylvania one hundred and twenty-three years ago. It 
cost £25 16s., and was made by Philip Syng. It was used by Mr. Speaker 
Norris and all his successors, Speakers of the Assembly, till 177."), when this 
chamber and all its furniture and appliances were relinquished to the Conti- 
nental Congress, by whom it continued in use during the period they held their 
sessions in Philadelphia. It supplied the ink to John Hancock when he affixed 
his bold signature to the Declaration of Independence, and to each member as 
he came up to sign that charter. 

" ' When Washington occupied this chair and presided over the convention 
which framed the Constitution of the United States, he, too, dipped his pen in 
this identical ink-pot. Transferred to Harrisburg, it was used by the Penn- 
sylvania Legislature till 1849,? and its subsequent history is given in two let- 

1 The clew to its continued existence was furnished me by the late Hon. William 
M. Meredith, who, as Speaker of the House, had known it. Several years' search 
for it, however, proved fruitless, till, through Col. Russell Errett, it was discov- 
ered in the possession of Mr. Smull, a former clerk of the House. 

The fact that Mr. Meredith should be the medium of its return, forms another 
strange coincidence, since it was his mother, the niece of Gouverneur Morris, who 
presented to my relation the original chair — " the corner-stone of the restoration." 



THE RESTORATION. 



169 



ters, which I also hand you. With patriotic action, and in the most graceful 
way, his Excellency, Governor Hartranft, now gives this valuable relic to your 
safe keeping. He has wisely selected a clay that is memorable in our annals. 
On this day ninety-nine years ago Richard Henry Lee rose in his place and 
offered his famous resolution : " That these Colonies are, and of right ought to 
be, free and independent States," and on the same day was appointed the com- 
mittee to draft the Declaration of Independence.' " . . . . 

" The Mayor, on receiving the inkstand, said : — 

" ' I accept this invaluable relic on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, and 
through you return to His Excellency Governor Hartranft the thanks of the 
corporation, and I desire, also, to express to you, sir, the chief mainspring of 
this work of restoration of this Hall, the thanks of the citizens of Philadelphia. 
I suggest to you, that in order that this relic may be properly exhibited and 
preserved, a fire-proof safe may be obtained in which to place it, large enough 
to hold the original Declaration of Independence, which, no doubt, will be 
eventually deposited with us.' 




THE INKSTAND. 



" The Mayor received the inkstand, and deposited it upon the table where 
it was so long used. Whereupon Messrs. Farrell and Herring, who were 
among the spectators, stepped forward and assured his Honor that the safe 
should be furnished without any cost to the city. 



170 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

" The following correspondence accompanied the inkstand : — 

"Executive Chamber, 
" Harrisburg, Pa., June 1, 1875. 
" Frank M. Etting, Esq., Chairman Committee on Restoration of Independ- 
ence Hall, Philadelphia, Pa. 

" Dear Sir, — In reply to your letter inviting my attention to the exist- 
ence of ' the original silver inkstand used in signing the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, which, ordered for the Assembly of Pennsylvania shortly after the 
occupation of their chamber in Philadelphia, was transferred with other portions 
of their furniture to Harrisburg,' I have the honor to say that the inkstand 
alluded to has this day been forwarded to you per express. The inkstand was 
kindly placed at my disposal by Mr. Smull, with a letter containing its his- 
tory, 1 which I enclose herewith, and I take great pleasure in transferring it to 
your custody to be restored to its old stand upon the table upon which the 
chart of -our Independence was signed. 

" In forwarding the inkstand, as a citizen of Pennsylvania I cannot refrain 
from expressing to you my thanks for the zeal and industry you have displayed 
in your efforts to restore Independence Hall, and the extended and elaborate 
research you have made to establish the identity of the articles reclaimed. 

" "With great respect, 

" I am your obedient servant, 

" J. F. Hartranft." 

1 Mr. Smull, in returning this inkstand to the Governor, states : — 

" In the year 1849 there was placed in my custody a small silver tray, containing 
an ink and sand-holder of the same material. At that time tradition held that this 
was the inkstand used by the President of the Continental Congress at the time the 
Declaration of American Independence was signed. 

" I took great interest to obtain as much information as was possible to establish 
its identity, and made inquiries on the subject, during several years succeeding 
1849, from then aged public men, and the result of my investigations resulted in con- 
vincing me of the identity of this one with that used by the first Congress. 

"The late venerable Thomas H. Burrows, afterwards Superintendent of Common 
Schools, told me that he had made minute inquiries regarding this stand many years 
previously, and that he had no doubt that it was the same that held the ink used by 
the signers of the Declaration. 

" The late Hon. Thomas Nicholson, who will be remembered as a man who re- 
quired the most positive and conclusive evidence to convince his mind, was an en- 
thusiastic believer in the fact that this was the ' Independence Inkstand.' 

" One incident will show how much he felt on the subject. When Harris- 
burg was threatened by the rebel army in 1863, he came personally to me and 
said : ' If the rebels come into Harrisburg, be sure and hide in a safe place " Inde- 
pendence Inkstand." ' This inkstand has been in my custody uninterruptedly ever 
since 1849, and I can vouch for it being the one referred to by the gentlemen I 
have named. It was used very many years prior to 1849, by Speakers of the House 
of Representatives." 



THE RESTORATION. 171 

The official Reports, submitted to the Mayor from time to time, re- 
capitulate the changes made and proposed, as well as the condition of 
affairs modified and altered. 

" We found the doors, cornices, wainscoting, and the architectural 
characteristics of the room completely concealed beneath a mass of pic- 
tures of every kind, while the floor contained the dilapidated furniture 
rejected by former Councils, and one of the windows was barricaded 
by the block of marble ordered by the city of Philadelphia as its con- 
tribution to the Washington National Monument. This last, under 
the sanction of your Honor and of Councils, we caused to be trans- 
mitted to its destination. . 

" The old ' Liberty Bell,' which had been taken from the cupola 
and placed within the chamber, we removed to the vestibule, suspend- 
ing it from the original beam and scaffolding. (The latter having 
been discovered nearly intact in the steeple.) We deemed it appropriate 
,£o inscribe upon its base the whole Scriptural text, a part of which 
had been moulded upon the bell in 1753, as it, even then, so essentially 
predicted and ordained : first, ' Liberty throughout all the land,' and 
secondly, the centennial celebration thereof. The whole has been 
enclosed . by a plain iron railing, which circumstances showed to be 
essential to its preservation. 

" We have replaced at the east end of the chamber the President's 
dais, in exact conformity with the contemporary description given upon 
the reception of the first French Minister to the Republic then strug- 
gling for its existence, and the identical chair and table used by Han- 
cock are restored to their places thereupon. In conformity, also, with 
the cited authority, we have ranged six of the original chairs used by 
the Delegates in 1776 — two of which had been reclaimed as already 
stated, from Harrisburg, and the others have been presented to the 
city by Mrs. William Biddle, Mrs. E. A. Foggo, Mr. John J. Smith, 
Mr. C. C. Dunn ; these chairs having been changed as to their cover- 
ing, it is our design to make them assimilate. Two chairs which con- 
tain the original leather covering, the one deposited by the Chairman 
of your Committee, the other obtained from the Philosophical Society, 
though somewhat dilapidated, are required to be forever kept intact 
by their depositors, and have been placed upon the steps of the dais. 
None others in the original condition are found to be extant after the 
most diligent inquiry on the part of your Committee." 

The Committee go on to state that they have ascertained the ex- 
istence of five other chairs, undoubtedly authentic, though re-uphol- 
stored, and efforts were being made to persuade their owners to present 



172 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

or deposit the same. If successful in this (and it has been accom- 
plished since this report was written), " a sufficient number will thus," 
says the Committee, " be supplied to enable us to recall the sitting of the 
Congress of 1776, besides thus representing each of the original thir- 
teen States. The original number of these chairs could not have ex- 
ceeded thirty-two, that being the number of Representatives in the State 
Legislature, for whom these chairs were made. The other members of 
the Congress of 1776 must have been otherwise accommodated, though 
how, we cannot now determine." 

" We have replaced the pillars which formerly sustained the ceiling 
of the Chamber by means of the precise description given by our ven- 
erable fellow citizen, Horace Binney, the only living man who posi- 
tively remembers them, and whose description is fully confirmed by a 
fragment of the original still preserved in Germantown as a relic. To 
protect the Chamber and its furniture, we found it necessary to con- 
struct a light railing, so arranged, however, as to interfere with or mar 
as little as possible the general appearance of the Chamber. Addi- 
tional support has been given to the rafters of the floor, while every 
precaution that seemed feasible, has been adopted to avoid danger of 
fire from flues, etc." 

One of the most experienced insurance inspectors in Philadelphia 
has approved all that was done to the lower rooms. He pointed out 
certain changes in the roof and in the steeple as indispensable. Under 
the sanction of an ordinance these changes have been made. Iron ven- 
tilators to the Council Chamber have been substituted for the wooden 
ones, and a third superfluous shed upon the roof removed altogether. 
The loft, which was discovered to have been made a store-house for 
books and refuse household furniture, and which was accessible from 
adjoining roofs, has been cleared of its combustible contents, and ab- 
solutely closed to all unnecessary ingress. 

, The steeple, which had been long (and since the abandonment of 
bell-ringing, unnecessarily) occupied by a family carrying on all the ' 
domestic functions and avocations, has been vacated, — all fire and 
lights therein have been interdicted, and, indeed, rendered impossible, 
by the removal of the means, save only to light the city clock. 

The unnecessary outlets to the cellar in the rear of the building 
have been closed, and its windows effectually guarded, and but one ac- 
cess provided and secured as it was originally. 

In regard to the portraits to be placed in Independence Chamber, 
we have steadily adhered to the plan pointed out by our Chairman, as 
published in the " Penn Monthly." They could only be admitted 




Independence Chamber, Western side, 



(after restoration) 



THE RESTORATION. 173 

into the room in subordination, as to size, to the wainscoting, architec- 
tural adornments, etc., and only when absolutely authenticated. This 
has entailed a vast correspondence, but with results gratifying to your 
Committee, and evincive of the deep-seated patriotic feeling through- 
out the length and breadth of the land. 

Thirteen portraits, only, of " the Signers" were found in the miscel- 
laneous collection purchased by the city in 1854 at the auction sale of 
Peale's Museum ; to these five had been added by Hon. John M. Read, 
Mrs. Drayton, and by three other parties not ascertained. 

"The Committee were at first indetermined in the selection of those 
portraits entitled to admission to Independence Chamber. If only 
' the Signers ' were to be included — while the portraits of some men 
who took no part in the discussion or even the vote upon the question 
of Independence would have been admitted — such rule would have 
excluded Thomas Johnson, John Dickinson, Robert R. Livingston, and 
tothers ; while to accept only the Actors in the drama would have 
militated against the popular verdict in favor of many whose signa- 
tures are affixed to the American Magna Charta, but who took no 
part in debate upon it, nor in its adoption. Under these circumstances 
we determined to place upon the walls, likenesses of all those men who 
signed, all who voted upon, and all who debated the question in this 
chamber, so far as they could be, or were, absolutely authenticated. 

" We were pleased to find that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, 
two of the then surviving signers, than whom no men were more prom- 
inent or better able to determine the value of their contemporaries, 
agreed in giving identically the same advice to Colonel Trumbull, when 
preparing to paint his historical picture of ' The Signing of the Dec- 
laration of Independence' for the Capitol. As we were not confined 
to one day or one scene in the illustration of the room, our action can- 
not be open to the charge of inconsistency or anachronism which must 
always stand against this famous painting. 

" Twenty of the signers remain unrepresented on the walls, but of 
these ten never sat for their portraits, namely : John Morton, Csesar 
Rodney, Carter Braxton, John Hart, George Taylor, James Smith, 
Matthew Thornton, Button Gwinnett, John Penn, Lyman Hall, and, 
it is feared, Francis L. Lee. These are here enumerated, because coun- 
terfeit resemblances of many of them were manufactured a few years 
since, and have been recently disseminated by an enterprising indi- 
vidual in New York ; one of these pictures at least has been copied in 
oil, presented to a State, enshrined in its capitol, and its use actually 
tendered to the Centennial Commission. These pictures, according to 



174 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

the admission of their original publisher to the committee, were ex- 
ecuted 'by a young English engraver, just then arrived, who received 
carte-blanche to produce them all on wood,' whereupon 'he took a 
room, furnished it with a barrel of ale and a quantity of tobacco pipes, 
and under the inspiration imparted by these, produced, for the first 
time, portraits of all the signers.' " 

We have consulted with the descendants of several of these gentle- 
men as to the most appropriate and satisfactory way to perpetuate 
their memory in the chamber, and anticipate giving them the prom- 
inence in some form to which they are justly entitled. Thus only ten 
remain " absent and unaccounted for," but should we be as successful 
during our coming year as in the past, these will also " answer to their 
names," at our next muster. 

LIST OF PORTRAITS. 

1. John Hancock, 

The President, of Congress of 177G, and from May 24th, 1775, 

to 31st October, 1777. Peale. 

2. Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, 

The mover of the Resolution for Independence, President of 
Congress from November 30, 1784, to June 5th, 1786. Peale. 

3. Benjamin Harrison, of Virginia, 

The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, who reported 

the same. Lambdin, after Trumbull. 

4. Thomas Jefferson, 

The Chairman of the Committee to draft, and Author of, the 
Declaration of Independence. Peale. 

5. Roger Sherman, of Connecticut, 

A Member of the Committee to Draft the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. Hicks, after Earle. 
Presented by his grandson, William M. Evarts. 

6. John Adams, 

The Seconder of the Resolution for Independence, Member of 
the Committee to Draft the Declaration, and the •■' Colossus of 
the Debate." Peale. 

7. Samuel Adams, of Massachusetts, 

The Pioneer of Independence — the Palinurns of the Re- 
public. Onthank, after Copley. 
Presented by George A. Simmons, on behalf of his wife and other 
descendants of the Patriot. 

8. Benjamin Franklin, 

A Member of the Committee to draft the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, etc. Etter, after Martin. 



INDEPENDENCE CHAMBER. 175 

9. John Dickinson, 

The great advocate of Constitutional rights, and Member of 
Congress, July, 1776, from Pennsylvania. Peale. 

10. Robert Morris, 

The great Financier of the Revolution, and Member of Con- 
gress, July, 1776, from Pennsylvania. Peale. 

11. Thomas McKean, 

Advocate of Independence, and Member of Congress, July, 1776, 
from Delaware, President of Congress from July 10 to Novem- 
ber 4, 1781. Peale. 

12. Samuel Chase, of Maryland, 

Advocate of Independence, and Member of Congress, July, 1776, 

from Maryland. Peale. 

13. George Wythe, of Virginia, 

Advocate of Independence, and Member of Congress, July, 1776, 
from Virginia. Weir, after Trumbull. 

*L4. Joseph Hewes, of North Carolina. Member of Congress, July, 

1776, from North Carolina. Tiffany, from a miniature. 

15. Josiah Bartlett, of New Hampshire, 

Member of Congress, July, 1776, from New Hampshire. 
Presented by his descendants. 

16. Robert R. Livingston, of New York, 

A Member of the Committee to draft the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. Pratt, after Stuart. 
Presented by Clermont Livingston and others, the descendants. 

17. Thomas Heyward, Jr. 

Member of Congress, July, 1776, from South Carolina. 

Presented by Nathaniel Heyward. Frazer, after Theus. 

18. Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts, 

The earnest advocate of Independence in and out of Congress. 
Member of Congress, July, 1776, from Massachusetts. 

19. Charles Thompson, 

The permanent Secretary of Congress. Peale. 

20. William Whitk, 

Chaplain to Congress. Peale. 

21. William Whipple, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from New Hampshire. After St. Memin. 

22. Robert Treat Paine, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Massachusetts. 

23. Stephen Hopkins, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Rhode Island. 

Lambdin, after Trumbull. 1 

1 Trumbull's sketch was made from the son, upon representation of the family 
that the likeness was so great as to justify it. 



176 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

24. William Ellert, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Rhode Island. 

Waugh, from Trumbull's original sketch. 

25. Samuel Huntington, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Connecticut. President of 
Congress, September 28, 1779, to July 9, 1781. Peale. 

26. William Williams, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Connecticut. 

Sawyer, from a family portrait by Trumbull. 

27. Oliver Wolcott, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Connecticut. 

Lambdin, after Trumbull. 

28. William Floyd, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from New York. Henry, after Polk. 

29. Philip Livingston, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from New York. Peale. 

30. Francis Lewis, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from New York. 

31. Lewis Morris, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from New York. Flagg, after Trumbull. 
Presented by his descendant, Harry G. Morris. 

32. Richard Stockton, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from New Jersey. 

Conarroe, after 

33. John Witherspoon, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from New York. Peale. 

34. Francis Hopkinson, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from New Jersey. Peale. 

35. Abraham Clark, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from New Jersey. 

Lambdin, after Trumbull. 

36. Benjamin Rush, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Pennsylvania. Peale. 

37. James Wilson, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Pennsylvania. 

Wharton, after a miniature by Jas. Peale. 

38. George Ross, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Pennsylvania. 

Wharton, after West. 

39. George Clymer, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Pennsylvania. 

Marchant, after 

40. George Read, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Delaware. Sully, after Stuart. 



INDEPENDENCE CHAMBER. Ill 

41. Thomas Stone, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Maryland. Mayer, after Peale. 

Presented by the State of Maryland. 

42. William Paca, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Maryland. Mayer, after Peale. 

Presented by the State of Maryland. 

43. Charles Carroll, of Carroll ton, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Maryland. Peale. 

44. Thomas X els on, Jr., 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Virginia. 

45. William Hooper, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from North Carolina. 

Lambdin, after Trumbull. 

46. Edward Rutledge, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from South Carolina. 
Presented by Joshua Frauds Fisher. Wharton, after Trumbull. 

<47. Thomas Lynch, Jr. 

Member of Congress of 1776, from South Carolina. 

Presented by the Artist. Miss Anna Lea, after 

48. Arthur Middleton, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from South Carolina. 

Presented by the Artist. Wharton, after West. 

49. George Walton, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Georgia. 

Waugh, after original miniature by James Peale. 

50. Thomas Johnson, 

Member of Congress of 1776, from Maryland. Mayer, after Peale. 
Presented by the State of Maryland. 

51. John Rogers. (vacant.) 

52. Thomas Willing. (v cant.) 

Such portraits of the Presidents of the Old Continental Congress, 
not included among the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, 
and of distinguished Officers of the Revolutionary Army and Navy as 
could be secured, have been placed along the surbase of Indepen- 
dence Chamber, subordinated to the general plan. 

53. Peyton Randolph, 

President, 5th September to 21st October, 1774, and 

10th May to 23d May, 1775. Peale. 

54. Henry Laurens, 

President 1st November, 1777, to 9th December, 1778. Peale. 

55. John Hanson, 

President 5th November. 1781, to 3d November, 1782, Peale. 

12 



178 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

56. Elias Boudinot, 

President 4th November, 1782, to 2d November, 1783. 

57. Thomas Mifflin, 

President 3d November, 1783, to 29th November, 1784. Peale. 

58. Arthur St. Clair, 

President 2d February, 1787, to 21st January, 1788. Peale. 

59. Cyrus Griffin, 

President 21st January, 1788, to 1789. 

After an original miniature by Sully, taken in 1801. 

60. George Washington, 

The Commander-in-Chief of the Army. Original, by James Peale. 

Major-generals. 

61. Aktemas Ward ' Massachusetts . 17th June, 1775. 

62. Philip Schuyler New York . . 19th June, 1775. 

63. Israel Putnam Connecticut. . 19th June, 1775. 

64. Richard Montgomery . . . New York . . 9th December, 1775. 

65. Horatio Gates Virginia . . . 16th May, 1776. 

65^. John Sullivan ..... New Hampshire 9th August, 1775. 

66. Nathanael Greene .... Rhode Island . 9th August, 1776. 

67. Wm. Alexander (Lord Stirling) New Jersey . 19th February, 1777. 

68. Benjamin Lincoln .... Massachusetts . 19th February, 1777. 

69. Marquis de Lafayette . . France . . . 31st July, 1777. 

70. Baron de Kalb France . . . loth Sept., 1777. 

71. Baron de Steuben .... Prussia' . . . 5th May, 1778. 

72. William Smallwood . . . Maryland . . 15th Sept., 1780. 

73. L. Le Begue DuPortail . . France . . .16th Dec, 1781. 

74. Henry Knox Massachusetts . 22d March, 1782. 

Brigadier-generals. 

75. Christopher Gadsden . . S. Carolina . . 16th Sept., 1776. 

76. Lachlan McIntosh .... Georgia . . . 16th Sept., 1776. 

77. Anthony Wayne Pennsylvania . 21st February, 1777. 

78. James Mitchell Varnum . . Rhode Island .- 21st February, 1777. 
78^.Peter Muhlenberg .... Virginia . . . 21st February, 1777. 

79. George Clinton New York . . 25th March, 1777. 

80. Joseph Reed Pennsylvania . 12th May, 1777. 

81. James Wilkinson (Brevet) . Maryland . . 6th November, 1777. 

82. Daniel Morgan Virginia . . . 13th October, 1780. 

83. Otho Holland Williams . . Maryland . . 9th .May, 1782. 

84. Joseph Warren Massachusetts State Troops. 

85. Thomas Sumter South Carolina State Troops. 

1 Nearly all of these portraits are originals by Charles Wilson Peale. The State 
given is that of which a resident at date of appointment. 




The Hall of the Old State House. 

(after restoration) 



INDEPENDENCE CHAMBER. 179 

86. Colonel John Eager Howard .... Maryland. 

87. Colonel Wm. A. Washington .... Virginia. 

88. Colonel Harry Lee Virginia. 

89. Comte De Rochambeau France. 

90. Commodore John Paul Jones .... Virginia. 

91. Commodore Joshua Barney .... Maryland. 

92. Commodore Nicholas Biddle .... Pennsylvania. 

93. Commodore John Barry . . . . . Ireland. 

Independence Chamber is thus kept intact, to represent the year 
1776 and its associations. 

The -whole front of the building, bricks, mortar, even the marble 
trimmings and ornaments, had been daubed with paint, which many 
practical builders declared it impossible to remove. A mechanic was 
at last found who believed that this offensive innovation could be 
gotten rid of, and after a successful experiment with the base, the 
fcricks of the entire front were finally disclosed, as well as the marble, 
which had lost its identity under its coating of red. 

The interior, with equal impartiality, had been treated with coat 
after coat of paint. The ornamental carving of the vestibule and stair- 
case, all done by hand, and once the pride of the early Pennsylvanians, 
and the admiration of every visitor of the last century, were obscured 
by a similar process of a contractor's efflorescence. By the careful use 
of acids, and of purifying fire, the overlying coats of paint have been 
removed. The delicate tracery of the panels and of the stairway is 
again made visible. An experienced carpenter has supplemented the 
original work, where time or relic hunters had laid their vandal hands, 
and protection afforded against the cacoethes scribendi with the finger, 
or the heel of the boot-black, or of the irrepressible lounger about 
the premises. 

These purposes were set out in the first annual report of the Com- 
mittee, and having previously overcome the impediments thrown in 
their way by some of the former occupants of the Chamber, they go 
on to say : — 

" The western room having been finally yielded to us, we proceeded to in- 
itiate the plan for a National Museum. The chamber was thoroughly ren- 
ovated, and the decayed floor replaced by a tiled pavement similar in style to 
that laid some years since in Independence Chamber. 

" With the assistance of the Board of Lady Managers we set ourselves to 
the work of collecting and arranging everything that seemed adapted for the 
illustration or commemoration of the past. The chamber itself was formerly 
the Judicial Hall of the Colony of Pennsylvania, where Justices Logan, Allen, 



180 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Chew, and McKean, gave dignity and weight to the Supreme Bench. This 
room we therefore dedicate to the memories of these men, and to illustrate the 
history of our State from its foundation, in 1682, down to the epoch of the 
adoption of the Constitution of the United States, in 1789, when it merged into 
the ' United States of America,' including as a specialite all that pertains to 
the Framing of the Constitution of the United States, such as portraits of the 
Signers thereof, their manuscript letters and other memorials and relics. 

" Receptacle cases, constructed upon a plan devised by the Committee, have 
been prepared, and are already partially filled ; the one with relics and me- 
morials of distinguished men of the period from 1682 to 1787, and the other 
with pamphlets, wearing apparel, newspapers, and everything illustrative of 
the daily life in America during the same period ; while appropriate platforms 
are reserved to display furniture once in use by the patriots of that day. 

" Mr. Joseph Harrison's public spirit (confirmed since his death by Mrs. 
Harrison) has enabled us to present a synopsis of this part of our plan by a 
series of paintings. Mr. Harrison deposited the celebrated painting, by West, 
of the great Treaty, ' never sworn to and never broken.' Over this picture it 
is our wish to place a portrait of Charles II. 1 (whose royal grant to Penn 
enabled the latter to set an example of 'peace on earth and good-will towards 
men '), and next in order chronologically as our Ruler of the time — whatever 
faults maybe ascribed to him, always the true friend of Penn — James II. 
After him we have the portraits, in chronological order (thanks again to Mr. 
Joseph Harrison), of King William, Queens Mary and Anne, and Kings 
George I., II., and III., with whom terminated the royal authority iu this 
country, and whose portraits are. in our opinion, indispensable to the illustra- 
tion and understanding of our local history and government. 

" The Charter of incorporation of the City of Philadelphia, with the original 
signature of the Founder, and with the great seal of Pennsylvania appended, 
is encased appropriately, and displayed between the likeness of the Grantor 
and the commemorative painting of the Treaty which made it feasible. 

" The celebrated Non-Importation Resolutions of October 25th, 1765, signed 
by three hundred and seventy -five of our merchants and traders (fac-simile), 
constitutes an appropriate pendant in juxtaposition with the portrait of the 
sovereign whose authority over Pennsylvania and her sister colonies, it was 
destined to form the entering wedge to sever." 

Among all the acquisitions to tlie National Museum, no one is of 
more intrinsic value than the portrait of William Penn, taken at a 
time when the Founder of Pennsylvania was in the full maturity of 
his powers. The existence of such a painting, though mentioned in a 
rare county history of Durham, England, seems to have been entirely 

1 Through the active exertions of Col. John W. Forney, who has always been the 
kind friend of the Museum, an original portrait of Charles II., by Lely, has been 
loaned by Mr. William Thompson. 




The National Museum. 



EASTERN SII 



THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 181 

unknown to any Pennsylvanian, until Mr. Samuel L. Smedley, learn- 
ing of it, procured from the original a small photograph, which by 
accident was seen by the Chairman of the Committee on Restoration 
of Independence Hall. Efforts repeatedly made by letter, to secure a 
copy, were disregarded, but through the intervention of a friend, who 
was asked to call in person and to make the request on behalf of the 
citizens of Pennsylvania, the present careful copy was finally pro- 
cured and placed beside West's painting of the Treaty. The original 
artist is Francis Place, who painted the portrait from life shortly after 
William Penn's second marriage in 1696, at the age of fifty-two. The 
copy is made by Henry J. Wright, who certifies to its entire accuracy 
in every detail. Its companion picture is a copy by the same hand, 
from the original portrait of Mrs. Penn — Hannah Callowhill, — 
painted by Place at the same time. 

Of the Framers of the Constitution of the United States, the fol- 
c lowing portraits have been secured : — 

Georgk Washington . . . Original by Rembrandt Peale. 

John Langdon .... Original by Sharpless. 

Rufus King Original by C. W. Peale. 

Alexander Hamilton . . . Original by C. W. Peale. 

Robert Morris .... Original by C. W. Peale. 

Jared Ingersoll .... George Lambdin. 

Gouverneur Morris . . . Marchant, after Sully. 

Alexander Hamilton . . . Original by Sharpless. 

Luther Martin .... Tiffany, after — 



James Mc Henry .... Original by Sharpless. 

James Madison Miss Drinker, after Stuart, 

George Mason .... Herbert Welsh, after Stuart. 

Richard D. Spaigiit . . . f Orginal by St. Memin, and 

( Original by Sharpless. 

The following miscellaneous Portraits (originals) by Sharpless : — 

George Washington. Horatio Gates. 

John Adams. Dolly P. Madison. 

Thomas Jefferson. Aaron Burr. 

James Clinton. Bushrod Washington. 

James Monroe. James Wilkinson. 

Noah Webster. Anthony Wayne. 

James Kent. Elias Dayton. 

R. R. Livingston. William Johnson. 

DeWitt Clinton. Ashbel Green. 

Fisher Ames. Benjamin Rush. 



182 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

Members of the Continental Congress — 1774 to 1789 — excluding 
those who were in Congress June 7th, to November, 1776 : — 

Matthkw Tilghman. Jonathan Bayard Smith. 

James Bowdoin. Jonathan D. Sergeant. 

Arthur Lee. David Ramsay. 
Nathaniel Ramsey. 

The following Miscellaneous Portraits from Peale's Museum : — 

John Page Governor of Virginia 

Robert Fulton . . . The Inventor of Steamboat. 

William Bartram . . . The Botanist. 

David Rittenhouse . . . The Astronomer. 

Thomas Paine .... The Author of " Common Sense." 

Samuel Smith .... Colonel Revolutionary War. 

Timothy Pickering . . . Colonel Revolutionary War. 

Thomas Forest . . . Colonel Revolutionary War. 

Tennent .... Colonel Revolutionary War. 

M. Du Cambray . . . Colonel Revolutionary War. 

William Rush .... The Carver in wood. 

Chevalier de Chasti llux . The Traveller. 

Comte de Volney . . . The Traveller. 

Chevalier de la Luzerne . French Minister. 

Towards the completion of the plan the present rooms form but the 
nucleus. 

The Councils of the City still occupy the second story of the build- 
ing. They have accorded permission to the Committee on restoration 
of Independence Hall, to use the walls of the chambers in the second 
story. In conformity with their plans, on these are being arranged 
as rapidly as they can be procured, Portraits of — 

The Presidents of the United States. 

The Vice Presidents. 

Cabinet officers. 

Speakers of the House of Representatives. 

Prominent Statesmen of the Country from 1789. 

"When these chambers shall be vacated by the Municipal Govern- 
ment, upon the completion of the City Buildings at Centre Square, it 
is intended to arrange glass cases and other appropriate receptacles for 
every variety of souvenirs of the epoch since the adoption of the Con- 
stitution of the United States, down to the period only, probably, of 
the War of 1812. 

The plan designed by the Committee, provides for making the pres- 
ent wings correspond on the exterior with the structures that adjoined 



THE RESTORATION. 183 

the main building in 1776, as seen in the plate (page 13), and from 
which even now they do not essentially differ ; to reconstruct the inte- 
rior with a blank wall, and while lighting from above, to arrange for 
access thereto only from the State House proper. The interiors to be 
used as portrait and picture galleries, and to be made contributory to 
the National Museum thus established ; the interest the Committee 
reports is daily growing, as knowledge of the purposes is disseminated, 
and they instance the fact that the average number of visitors during 
any one month was five hundred and forty daily. 

The building at Sixth and Chestnut streets, whose history has been 
already traced, and identified with the inauguration of the National 
Government, has been appropriately marked by a tablet recording 
its associations. This building should be kept in its original state 
and used by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for its collections 
and meetings, and the corresponding corner building at Fifth and 
c Chestnut streets be surrendered to the American Philosophical Society 
upon such terms and conditions as may be mutually agreed upon be- 
tween that body and the City of Philadelphia. 

The purposes of these societies, the acquisition and diffusion of 
knowledge, antiquarian and philosophical, will not only thus be sub- 
served, but the vast materials already collected and preserved by them 
would increase and be increased by being thus concurrently rendered 
accessible to the public, but these two societies, thus resident on the 
very spot, with interests identical, and, as joint trustees of the whole 
Square, would then assume an abiding and consistent obligation which 
could not fail to be advantageous to themselves and beneficial to the 
public interests. Presumably, composed of men the most scientific, 
the most intellectual, the most conservative as well as the most cos- 
mopolitan among the citizens of Philadelphia, there would then be 
secured permanently a guarantee of the exercise of the soundest dis- 
cretion in the adornment and conservation of the building, above all 
others, the most valuable in our country. 

No appeal has yet been made to the people of the United States 
for aid on this behalf. The city of Philadelphia has been asked, and 
did promptly accord the first year $3,000, and the second year $ 3,500, 
for the limited repairs which, under the circumstances, the Committee 
felt it indispensable to ask. Individuals in Massachusetts, in New 
York, in New Jersey, in Virginia, have generously responded to the 
personal requests made by members of the Committee and of the 
Board of Managers, while the State of Maryland itself has set an ex- 
ample of contributing by legislative action to Independence Chamber 
and to the National Museum, the portraits of the patriots of that 



184 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 

State, together with a handsome emblazonment of its heraldic device 
and seal of State. In transmitting these the Governor expressed his 
high " appreciation of the endeavor to restore and preserve intact In- 
dependence Hall as it was in 1776, and also of the plan of the Com- 
mittee in establishing the National Museum, which, if accomplished 
as designed, will make the old Hall of Independence the Mecca of 
Liberty, where every American can renew his veneration for the 
illustrious Founders of our country." 

It is hoped that not only all the original Thirteen States of the 
Union, but all those which have since matriculated, will thus establish 
an ownership within these walls, their living citizens coming them- 
selves annually to renew and brighten the chain of mutual friendship, 
and enjoining it upon their descendants to keep alive the national 
association at this, their Alma Mater of Liberty. 

Let every State in its sovereign capacity, let every American citizen 
individually, assist in justifying this inscription, soon — now — to be 
placed upon a conspicuous panel in Independence Hall : — 



THE STATE <H O U S E 

OF 

PEN N SYLVAN! A 

CONSECRATED 

BY THE MEMORIES OF 

THE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED 

WITHIN AND UNDER THE SHADOW OF ITS WALLS 

IS DEDICATED 

BY THE CITIZENS OF PHILADELPHIA 

TO THEIR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN OF THE 

UNITED STATES 

AS A 

PERPETUAL MONUMENT 

TO THE 

FOUNDERS OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 

ON THE 

NATIONAL CENTENARY ANNIVERSARY 
JULY 4 1876 



THE RESTORATION. 



185 



The inscriptions, upon the four tablets in the vestibule, were elabo- 
rated carefully to express all the historical incidents which the lower 
floor was intended, especially, to realize and to commemorate. Thus, 
while the Museum Chamber illustrates the period of 1682 to 1787, the 
panels on either side of the door of entrance present, in letters of gold 
— the one, William Penn's Record and his establishment of Universal 
Liberty traced to its accomplishment in 1789, when the colony, which 
he had founded, became an absolute sovereignty as the Keystone of the 
Republic ; the inscription, on the other, traces the germ of Union from 
its conception, one hundred and twenty-two years ago, to its "more 
perfect " development in 1787, when the present Constitution of the 
United States was framed in this Hall. 




WILLIAM PENN 

BORN IN 

LONDON OCTOBER 14 1644 

LAID THE FOUNDATION OF 

UNIVERSAL LIBERTY 

A. D. 1682 

IN THE PRIVILEGES HE THEN 

ACCORDED 

THE EMIGRANTS TO 

PENNSYLVANIA 

AND THUS ENABLED 

THEIR DESCENDANTS 

TO MAKE THE COLONY 

THE KEYSTONE STATE 

OF THE 

FEDERAL UNION 

IN 1789 



186 HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 




THE 

UNION 

OF THE 

AMERICAN COLONIES 

SUGGESTED BY 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

AT THE CONGRESS IN 

ALBANY 1754 

WAS FOSTERED BY 

MASSACHUSETTS IN .765 

DEVELOPED AT 
CARPENTERS HALL IN 1774 

IN THIS BUILDING 

EFFECTED IN 1776 

AND MADE MORE PERFECT 

SEPT 17th 1787 



The opposite chamber, appropriated exclusively to " 1776," contain- 
ing portraits and other memorials of those men who participated in 
the achievement of independence, exhibits corresponding panels on 
either side. On one of these the concise history of Independence, 1 and 

1 After a visit to Independence Hall in December, 1875, and a careful examina- 
tion of these inscriptions, Mr. George Bancroft writes to the author : "I had never 
seen the Resolutions of the Philadelphia Merchants of October 25, 1765. Upon my 
recent visit to Independence Hall, I learned of their existence when you pointed out 
to me the tablet you had erected, giving specifically the dates of the Philadelphia, 
the New York, and the Boston Resolutions. Though you did not solicit or even hint 
at any alteration in my existing edition, I immediately upon my retnrn made the 
appropriate insertion in my new edition of the History of the United States, thus 
giving to Philadelphia the priority in point of time that is her due. 

" I send you an advance proof sheet. Boston I leave out, as you say it was silent 
till December 3rd. I take for granted your date is right, though it makes Boston 
more than a month behind New York. 

" My visit Avith you to Independence Hall gave to my final hours in Philadelphia 
a charm which will not pass away." 




The Vestibule of Independence Hall. 



AFTER RESTORATION. 



THE RESTORATION. 



187 



on the other Penn's noble enunciation of that wherein a free govern- 
ment consists, the more elaborate assertion of individual rights, from 
the Declaration of Independence, and Washington's fiat of one of the 
essentials of their preservation in this country, namely, Absolute 
Union of the States of North America as essential to the maintenance 
of their Liberties. 




INDEPENDENCE 

FORESHADOWED 

BY 

THE NON-IMPORTATION 

RESOLUTIONS 

OF THE 

MERCHANTS AND OTHER CITIZENS 

PHILADELPHIA OCTOBER 25th 1765 

NEW YORK OCTOBER 31st 

BOSTON DECEMBER 3rd 

WAS PROPOSED IN CONGRESS BY 

RICHARD HENRY LEE 

PURSUANT TO THE INSTRUCTIONS OF 

VIRGINIA 

JUNE 17th ADOPTED JULY 2nd 

AND 

THE DECLARATION 

FINALLY AGREED TO 
JULY 4th 1776 



188 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 




ANY GOVERNMENT 
IS FREE 

TO THE PEOPLE UNDER IT WHATEVER BE THE 
FRAME WHERE THE LAWS RULE AND THE PEO- 
PLE ARE A PARTY TO THOSE LAWS AND MORE 
THAN THIS IS TYRANNY OLIGARCHY AND CON- 
FUSION. Penn's Frame of Government. 

WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT 
THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL THAT THEY 
ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CER- 
TAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS THAT AMONG THESE 
ARE LIFE LIBERTY AND' THE PURSUIT OF HAP- 
PINESS THAT TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS GOV- 
ERNMENTS ARE INSTITUTED AMONG MEN DERIV- 
ING THEIR JUST POWERS FROM THE CONSENT 
OF THE GOVERNED. Declaration of Independence. 

YOUR UNION OUGHT TO BE CONSIDERED AS A 
MAIN PROP OF YOUR LIBERTY. 

Farewell Words of George Washington. 



These are the principles, these are the events, these are the patriots 
whose memory it is sought to perpetuate, in the full belief that their 
practical teachings will influence the American citizen of to-day. 

The Hall of Independence and the National Museum, are of little 
avail unless they subserve the purposes of object-instruction, an in- 
struction not limited to producing familiarity with the naked events 
of history or of individuals, but extending into the higher field of 
education, where respect, aye, and reverence for the great and good 
never fail to inspire emulation ; thus teaching by example and by the 
honor secured, — Sow good a tiling it is to Live for one's country. 

May not, by such means, the time be hastened when the people of 
the United States, now rapidly merging into slaves of party, a slavery 
worse than ever otherwise existed on this continent, will throw aside 
the trammels imposed by the present prostitution of the name of Free- 
dom? Odd as it may seem, the words of William Penn, the monarchist, 
the friend of the last two of the Stuarts who ruled by royal right divine, 



HISTORY OF INDEPENDENCE HALL. 189 

— his words to-day are more truly democratic, state more accurately 
the principles of a free Republic, than can be found in the modern 
platforms of " Democrats " or " Republicans," or can be discovered 
in the actions of their leading apostles. 

Periodically are false gods erected for our homage by rings, cau- 
cuses, or other combinations, and by the very dregs of the people, 
under the pretense that this constitutes a free government, thus 
trailing in the dust the great names of Washington, of Adams, of 
Clay, and of Webster on one side, or of Samuel Adams, of Jefferson, 
and of Jackson on the other. And what do we — the sovereign 
people of America ? We periodically do fall down and worship 
these idols, or pass by on the other side, to attend to our own business. 

It may be designed for us to pass through trial and through tribula- 
tion, like the chosen people of old, but may we not learn in the mean 
time, — and in no place more practically than in what we are fond of 
^calling our Temple of Liberty, — that what the founders of this Repub- 
lic really toiled and fought for was, self-government, the Rule of the 
Best citizens of America, — not the Rule of the Worst. Neither De- 
mocracy nor Republicanism originally taught that victory was to be 
gained for spoils, nor an independent government created in order 
to establish offices in the city, state, or national gift for the main- 
tenance of the political huckster. 

The precepts of our national creed should not be laid aside for mere 
Fourth of July speeches, or worse, relinquished to the use and exposi- 
tion of the bread-seeking politician. Their living spirit should form 
part of our daily lives; every man, woman, and child who runs should 
read and ponder, each for himself, this enunciation of William Penn, 
expounded by the framers of our Magna Charta and now inscribed in 
Id lei's of gold upon the tablets over against Independence Chamber. 
Let every American teach these words diligently unto his children ; 
think of them when he lieth down and when he riseth up and when he 
walketh by the wayside, and write them as a sign upon the door-posts 
of his house, and upon his gates, — thus may he learn 

PRO DEO ET PRO P ATRIA— VI VERE. 



APPENDIX A. 



LIST OF THE SIGNERS OF THE NON-IMPORTATION RESOLU- 
TIONS OF THE MERCHANTS AND OTHERS. 

OCTOBER 25, 1765. 



Alphabetically arranged by Saeah E. Winchester, Custodian of the National Museum. 



Adcock. See Peyton 
Alexander, James 
Allen, Andrew 
Allen, John 
Allen & Turner 
Allison, William 
Armitage, Jun., Benja 
Armitt, John 

B. 

Bache, Rich» 

Bacon, David 

Baker, Joseph 

Baldwin, John 

Ball, William 

Bankson, And» 

Barclay. See Carson 

Barnard & Jogiz 

Bartram, Isaac & Moses 

Bartram & Dttndas 

Bartram & Lennox 

Bass, Robert 

Batho, Chas. 

Bayard, John 

Bayly, John 

Baynton, Wharton & Morgan 

Bell, John 

Benezet, Dani 

Benezet, James 

Benezet, Philip 

Beveridge, David 



I Bickley, Abra. 
Biddle, Clement 
Biddle, Owen 
Bingham. See Stamper 
Blair. Sec Murray 
Bond, Phenias, Sam. Mifflin for 
Bond, Thos. 
Bond, Jr., Thos. 
Booth, Benjamin 
Bowe, Hugh 
Boyle, John 
Bradford, Corn*- 
Bradford, W« 
Brechell, Andreas 
Bringhurst, John 
Brown, Elijah 
Browne, Jona. 
Bryan, Geo. 
Bryan, William 
Bryon, John 
Budden, James 
Budden, Richard 
Bunting, Samuel 
Burge, Samuel 
Bush, Mathias 



Cadwalader, Jno. & Saml 
Cadwalader, Samuel 
Cadwalader, Thos. 
Caldwell, Wm & Andw 
Carmick, Stephen 
Carpenter, Thomas 



192 



APPENDIX. 



Carruthers, Samuel 
Carson, Barclay & Mitchell 
Charlton, Thos. 
Cheesman, Samuel 
Chevalier, Jno. & Peter 
(hew, Benjamin 
Chew, John 
Clampffer, W m 
Clatpoole, James 
Clatpoole, Joseph 
Clayton, John 
Clifford, Thos. 
Clymer, Geo. 
Collins, Stephen 
conyngham & nesp.itt 

CORRY, Wm & SAML 
COTTRINGER, JOHN 
CODRTENAY, HERS 

Cox, Isaac 
Cox, John 
Cox, Jun., John 
Coxe, Chas. 

COXE & TtJRMAN 

Craig, J. 
Craig, Wm 

D. 
Davies, Benja 
Davis, Geo. 
Dean, Joseph 
Deshler, David 
Devine, Magdalen 
Dicas, Thomas 
Dickinson, John 
Dickinson, Philn. 
Donnaldson, Hugh 
Do well, William 
Dowers & Yorke 
Drinker, James 
Drinker, Jun., John 
Duche, Jacob 
Duncan. See Stewart 
Dundas. See Bartram 

E. 
Eddy, James 
Edwards. See Wish art 
Emlen, Jun., Geo. 
Emlen, Hudson 
Evans, Jona. 
Eve, Oswell 



Falconer, William 
Falkner, Lester 



Fisher, Sam^ 
Fisher, Willm 
Fisher & Son, Joshua 
Flanagan, John 
Fleeson, Plunkett 
Footman, Richd & Peter 
Forbes, Hugh 
Foclke, Caleb 
foulke, judah 
Fox, Jos. 
Francis, Tench 
Franks, David 
Frazer, Persifor 
Fry, Wm Storrs 
Fuller, B. 
fullerton, john 
Fulton, James. 

G. 

Gardner, Theo. 
Gibbs, Benja 
Gibson, John 
Gilbert. See Kearney 
Glenholme & Co., Owen 
Glentworth, George 
Graff. See Hubley 
Gratz, Barnard 
Gratz, Michael 
Gray, Marcy 

H. 

Haines, Reuben 
Hall, David 
Harbeson, Benjamin 
Hardie, Robert 
Harding, James 
Harman. See Neave 
Harris, Francis 
Harris, Robert 
Harrison, Henry 
Hart, John 
Hartley, James 
Harvey, James 
Head, John 
Heaton, John 
Henry, William 
Hewes, Caleb. 
Hewes, Josiah 
Heysham, William 
Hillborn, Jno. & Amos 
Hodge, William 
Hoops, Andrew 
Hooton, Benjamin 
Howard, Peter 



APPENDIX. 



193 



Howell, John Ladd 
Howell, Joshua 
Howell, Samuel 
Hublet & Graff 
Hudson, Samuel 
Hughes, John 
Humphreys, Richard 
Humphreys, William 
Hunter, James 
Huston, Alexander 
Hutciiings, Zach. 
Hyde, Lydia & Elz. 



Ibison, William 
Ingles, John 



^Jackson. Sec Lathim 
Jackson. See Wills 
Jacobs, Joseph 
James, James 
Jeyes, Francis 
Jones, Caleb 
Jones, Owen 

Jones & Wall, H. Jones for 
Jugiz. See Barnard 



K. 

Kearney, Jun\, Philip 
Kearney & Gilbert 
Kearsley, Jr.., Jno. 
Kendall, Benja. 
Keppele, Senior, Henry 
Keppele, Jr., Henry 
Kidd, George & John 
Kidd, John 
King, Joseph 
Kinsey, Philip 
Knight, Peter 
Knowles, John 



Lathim & Jackson 
Lawrence, Thos. 
Laycock, Godfrey 
Leacock, John 
Lennox. See Bartram 
pLevy, Benjamin- 
is 



Levy, Jun., Hyman 
Levy, Samson . 
Lewis, Ellis 
Lightfoot, Thos. 
Lloyd, William 
Logan, Willm 
Lookerman & Son, Vincent 
Lunan, Alex. 

M. 

Maccubbin, James 

Magee & Sanderson 

Marshall, Benja. 

Marshall & Sons, Christopher 

Mathey, Samuel 

McCall, Archibald 

McCulloch, Hugh 

McMurtrie, David 

McMurteie, Wm 

McNeill & Tolbert 

Meade, Garrett & George 

Mease, John 

Mease & Miller 

Meredith, Chas. 

Meredith, Reese 

Meredith, Saml 

Mifflin, Jno. 

Mifflin, Sam*- 

Mifflin, Thos. 

Miller. See Mease 

Milne, E. 

Mitchell. See Carson 

Mitchell, Abraham 

Mitchell, Handle, B. F. for 

Montgomery, Robert 

Montgomery, Thos. 

Moore, Jno. 

Moore, Wm 

Mordecai, Moses 

Morgan. See Baynton 

Morgan, Benjamin 

Morrell, William 

Morris, Jun., A. 

Morris, Cad. & Sami C. 

Morris, Geo. A. 

Morris, Jun., Isaac 

Morris, Jr., Israel 

Morris, Jon. 

Morris, Robert 

Morris, Jr., Saml 

Morris, Jr., W. 

Morrison, George 

Morton, John 



194 



APPENDIX. 



Morton, Saml 
Murray & Blair 



N. 



Neave & Harman. 
Nelson, John 
Nesbixt. See Conyngham 
Nicholls, William 
Nixon, John 



Ord, John 
Ormes, Samuel 

P. 
Parker, Rich» 
Paschall, Elis* 
Paschall, Isaac & Jos. 
Paschall, Thos. 
Pearson, Ann 
Peirse, Jno. 
Pemberton, Isr. 
Pemberton, James. 
Pennock, Jr., Jas. 
Penrose, James. 
Penrose, Thos. 
Peters, John 
Petxon & Adcock, 
Phillips, Jno. & Thos. 
Pleasant, Sami 
Pollard, William 
Potts, David 
Priest, John 
Pringle, John 
Pcset, William 
Purviance, Saml 
Purviance, Jr., Saml 

R. 
Bawle, Benjamin 
Redman, Joseph 
Reeve, Peter 
Relpe, Jno. 
Reynell, John 
Rhea, Jno. & David 
Richards, William 
Richardson, Jun., Francis 
Richardson, Joseph 
Richardson, Jos. 
Riche, Thos. 
roberdeau, daniel 
Roberxs, Hugh & George 
Robinson, Humphrey 



Robinson, Thomas 
Robotham, George 
Ross, Jno. 
Rundle, Danl 
Rush, William 



S. 



Sanderson. See Magee 
Sansom, Jr., Saml 
Saunders, Jos. 
Savadge, Thos. 
Scott, William 
Searle, James 
Shaw & Sprogell 
Shee, Jno. 

Shee & Son, Walter 
Shewell, Stephen 
Shippen, Jr., W. 
Shoemaker, Jr., Jacob 
Shoemaker, Samuel 
Sims, Buckridge 
Sims, Jo. 

SlTGREAVES, Wm 

Smith, Alex. 

Smith, Samuel 

Smixh, Samuel 

Smiih, Thomas 

sonmans, p. 

Sparhawk, John 

Sproat, David 

Sprogell. See Shane 

Stamper & Bingham 

Stedman, Chas., "for self & brother 

Steinmetz, John 

Stevens, Richard 

Stewart, Duncan & Co. 

Stocker, Anthony 

Story, Enoch 

Street, Francis 

Strettell, Amos 

Stuart, James 

Swan, Richard 

Swett, Jun., Benjamin 

Swift, Joseph 

Symonds, William 

Syng, Philip 



T. 



Taggert, Robert 
Thomson, Chas. 
Thomson, Peter 
Tilghman, James 
Tilghman, Tench 



APPENDIX. 



195 



Tod. See Willing 
Tolbeet. See McNeill 
Trotter, Joseph 
Tuckness, Robt 
Tubman. See Coxe 
Tubner. See Allen 
Turner, Sb., Peter 
Turner, Jr., Peteb 
Tceneb, Thos. 
Turner, William 
Tweedy, Nathl 



U. 



Ushee, Abraham 



Vandeespiegol, William 



W. 
t Wade, Francis 
Wall. See Jones 
Wallace, James 
Wallace, John 
Wallace, Thos. 
Waln, Richard 
Waln, Robt 
Warder, Jeremiah 
West, Thos. 
West, William 
Wharter, Chas. 
Wharton. See Baynton 
Whabton, J\s. 
Wharton. John 
Wharton, Jos. 
Wh w;ton, Jr., Jos. 



Wharton, Thos. 
Wharton, Jr., Thos. 
White, James 
White, Jno. 
White, Townsend 
Wikoff, Isaac 
Wikoff, John 
Wikoff, Peter 
Wilcocks, John 
Williams, Danl 
Willing, Thos. 
Willing & Tod 
Wills & Jackson. 
Wilson Robt 
Wilson, William 
Winet, Jacob 
Wishart & Edwards 
Wister, Dani 
Wistee, John 
Wood, John 
Wood, Joseph 
Wooduam & Young 
Wynkoop, Benja 

Y. 

Yorke. See Dowers 
Young. See Woodham 



Z. 



Zane, Jonathan, — Abel James 

lor" 
Zest, John 
Zweigell, Andrew 



APPENDIX B. 



LIST OF THE SIGNERS OP .THE DECLARATION OF 
INDEPENDENCE. 



Alphabetically arranged. 



Adams, John 

Adams, Samuel 

Bartlett, Josiaii 

Braxton, Carter 

Carroll, Charles of Carkollton 

Chase, Samuel 

Clark, Abraham 

Clymer, George 

Ellery, William 

Floyd, William 

Franklin, Benjamin 

Gerry, Elbridge 

Gwinnett, Button 

Hall, Lyman 

Hancock, John 

Harrison, Benjamin 

Hart, John 

IIewes, Joseph 

Heyward, Jr., Thomas 

Hooper, William 

Hopkins, Stephen 

Hopkinson, Francis 

Huntington, Samuel 

Jefferson, Thomas 

Lee, Francis Lightfoot 

Lee, Richard Henry 

Lewis, Francis 

Livingston, Philip 



Lynch, Jr., Thomas 
MjKean, Thomas 
Middleton, Arthur 
Morris, Lewis 
Morris, Robert 
Morton, John 
Nelson, Jr., Thomas 
Paca, William 
Paine, Robert Treat 
Penn, John 
Read, George 
Rodney, Caesar 
Ross, George 
Rush, Benjamin 
Kctledge, Edward 
Sherman, Roger 
Smith, James 
Stockton, Richard 
Stone, Thomas 
Taylor, George 
Thornton, Matthew 
Walton, George 
Whipple, William 
Williams, William 
Wilson, James 
Witherspoon, John 
Wolcott, Oliver 
Wythe, George 



INDEX. 



Act, of Assembly, for building State House, 

8 ; draft of, 9. 
Act, Stamp, resisted by Massachusetts, 47 ; 
Rhode Island, 49 ; Pennsylvania, 43, 49 ; 
effect of passage, 49-52 ; in Philadelphia, 
52-55 ; repeal of, 58 ; its effect in Phila- 
delphia, 58-61. 
Act, Tea, 62 ; its effect in Philadelphia, 64, 
*• 66-72, 75 ; iu Boston, 68, note ; in New 
York, 69, note; in Charleston, 69, note. 
Act, the Declaratory, of Parliament, 61. 
Adam, Andrew, 109. 
Adams, John, 77, 79, 84, 96, 97, 103, 104, 

140; inaugurated as President, 142. 
Adams, Samuel, 49, 75, 77,84, 108, 109, 196. 
Adams, Thomas, 110. 
Aldricks, Peter, 28. 
Alexander, Robert 85. 
Allen, Andrew, 85, 93, 94, 106. 
Allen, Anne, 58. 
Allen, William, 12-16, 24, 35, 52, 58, 122, 

132, 136, 147, 151. 
Alsop, John, 84, 99- 
Armstrong, Thomas, 1 6. 
Articles of Confederation, adopted and 

signed, 109 ; signers of, 109, 110. 
Assembly, first, 2 ; at Chester, 3 ; at Phila- 
delphia, 4 ; place of meeting of, 5 ; pro- 
vided for by the State House, 7 ; first fit- 
ting at State House, 16 ; list of its mem- 
bers, 16; room finished, 24; went off to 
Lancaster upon approach of British, 107 ; 
returns to State House, 1778, 113; oc- 
cnpies lower floor, 120 ; abandons Phila- 
delphia, 121. 
As6heton, Robert, 147. 
Atwood, William, 151. 
Ayres, Captain, 70-72. 

Baldwin, Abraham, 119. 
Baltimore, Lord, 2. 
Bancroft, George, 54, 186. 



Bank Meeting-house, 5. 

Bannister, John, 110. 

Banqueting Hall, inaugurated, 15, 25, 121- 

124. 
Barnes, Jon., 28. 
Bartlett, Josiah, 109. 
Bartram, George, 54. 
Bassett, Richard, 118. 
Baynton, John, 132. 
Bedford, Gunning, 118. 
Bell, the, ordered, 26-32 ; " proclaims lib- 
erty," 103 ; foretells centennial celebration, 
104 ; taken out of town, 105 ; placed in In- 
dependence Chamber, 165 ; restored to its 
original frame-work, 128, 171; new bell 
and clock discussed in councils and ordered, 
158-162. 
Bell, John, 35. 

Biddle, Edward, 78, 85, 86, 94, 106. 
Biddle, Mrs. William, 171. 
Biddle, Owen, 86. 
Biles, William, 16. 
Binney, Horace, 172. 
Blackwell, John, 25. 
Blair, John, 119, 149. 
Bland, Richard, 74, 85. 
Blount, William, 119. 
Boerum, Simon, 84. 
Bonnin, Gousse, 65. 
Boude, Thomas, 14. 
Boudinot, Elias, 112. 
Bowdoin, James, 77. 
Bowler, Metcalf, 75. 
Braddock, General Edward, 6, 34. 
Bradford, Thomas, 53, 54. 
Bradford, William, 19, 20, 154. 
Brahl, Lewis, 24. 
Braxton, Carter, 96. 
Brearley, David, 118. 
British occupy Philadelphia, 107. 
Brown, Jacob, 118. 
Bruce, Captain, 31. 



198 



INDEX. 



Bryan, George, 25, 52. 
Budden, Captain, 30. 
Bulloch, Archibald, 85. 
Butler, Pierce, 119. 

Cadwalader, John, 22, 86. 

Cadwalader, Thomas, 35. 

Camden, Lord, 61, 123, 124. 

Cann, Jon., 28. 

Carpenter, Samuel, 6, note. 

Carpenter House, 6. 

Carpenter's Hall, used for convention, 76 ; 
for Congress, 79. 

Carroll, Daniel, 110, 119. 

Carson, John, 154. 

Carter, William, 151. 

Cary, Archibald, 74. 

Caswell, Richard, 75. 

Centennial Celebration proposed, and pre- 
senting favorable chance for restoration, 
167. 

Chairs, bistory of, and restored, 166, 167, 
171. 

Chalkley, Thomas, 70, note. 

Chandler, Thomas, 16. 

Change of government, 89, 90 ; first sugges- 
tion for independence, 91, 92 ; action upon 
it in Pennsylvania, 93, 97, 98 ; action in 
Congress, 94, 98 ; draft of Declaration of 
Independence submitted to Congress, 98 ; 
resolution for independence introduced, 
94, 95 ; cousidered in committee, 99 ; re- 
ported and adopted, 100; Declaration of 
Independence considered and adopted, 101 ; 
promulgated, 101, 102 ; made unanimous 
by the action of New York as the 13th 
State, 105 ; engrossed and brought in for 
signature, 105. 

Charles II., King, 2, 28, 47, 48. 

Charles, Robert, 29, 31. 

Charles, Valentine, 54. 

Chase, Samuel, 75, 85, 149. 

Chastellux, de, visit to the State House, 112, 
113. 

Chatham, Lord. See William Pitt. 

Chevalier, Peter, 54. 

Chew, Benjamin, 24, 147. 

China factory, 65. 

City, Authorities, 146-150; list of Mayors 
of, 150, 151 ; list of Recorders, 147, note. 

City Hall, 137, 146-151. 

Clarke, Mr., 68, 71. 

Clingan, William, 110. 

Clinton, Governor George, 39, 84, 99. 



Clock, the, 32, 157, and note ; new clock, etc., 
ordered, 158-162. 

Clymer, George, 74, 93, 106, 118. 

Coffin, Captain, 69, 71. 

Coleman, William, 25. 

Collins, John, 109. 

Collinson, Peter, 125. 

Confederation, articles of, signed, 109 ; list of 
signers of, 109, 110. 

Congress, of 1754, commissioners to, from 
Pennsylvania, 40; of 1765, at New York, 
commissioners to, from Pennsylvania, 51 ; 
meeting of, 55 ; of 1774, to be called at 
Philadelphia, 75-81 ; meets at Carpenter's 
Hall, 79 ; entertained at State House, 123, 
124 ; meets at State House, 83 ; members 
of, of 1775, 84,85; leaves Philadelphia, 
1776-77, 107; returns, 108; abandons 
Philadelphia, 111, 112 ; debates its return 
to Philadelphia, 137-140; its return to, 
140; first battle in, 142; remains in Phila- 
delphia until year 1800, 141. 

Congress Hall, 135-1 45 ; changes made, 1 57 ; 
proposal to appropriate, to the Historical 
Society, 183. 

Convention, to frame Constitution for Penn- 
sylvania, to be called, 89, 90; in 1776, 
106; elects delegates to Congress, 106; in 
1790, 120 ; to frame Constitution of United 
States, 117 ; members of, 118, 119 ; to act 
upon Constitution of United States, 119; 
of Episcopal Church meets in Independ- 
ence Chamber, 120, note. 

Conway, H. S., 61, 124. 

Cooper, Peter, 70, note. 

Cornwallis, Lord, surrender of, 111. 

Correspondence, committees of, 74, 7">. 

Council, of Censors meets, 116; first Provin- 
cial, 4 ; to be accommodated in State 
House, 7. 

Council, character, 25. 

Councils of city occupy State House, 164. 

Court, Supreme, of the Province; place of 
meeting, 7 ; to be accommodated in State 
House, 7 ; Judges of, 24, 25. 

Cowpland, Caleb, 14, 16, 25. 

Crane, Stephen, 84. 

Cummings, Thomas, 16, 36. 

Cunningham, Provost, 107. 

Cushing, Thomas, 47, 48, 75, 77, 84. 

dishing, William Justice, 141, 149. 

Dallas, Alexander, J., 151. 
Damas, Comte de, 113. 



INDEX. 



199 



Dana, Francis, 109. 

Darvall, William, 28. 

Davie, William 11., 119. 

Dayton, Jonathan, 118, 142. 

Deane, Joseph, 54. 

Deane, Silas, 75, 84. 

Declaration of Independence. See Independ- 
ence. 

Declaratory Act of Parliament, 61. 

De Hart, John, 84. 

De Lancey, James, 20. 

Denny, William, 25, 122. 

Deshler, William, 54. 

Dickerson, Mahlon, 151. 

Dickinson, John, 25, 45, 51, 52, 62, G4, 75, 
78, 83, 85, 86, 93,94, 96, loo, 106, 110,118, 
134. 

Dickinson, Jonathan, 151. 

Digges, Dudley, 77. 

Dinwiddie, Robert, 40. 

Doz, Andrew, 54. 

Drayton, Mrs. 1 73. 

Drayton, William Henry, 98, 110. 

Duane, James., 84, 110 

Duche, Jacob, 30, 103, 104, 127, 151. 

Duer, William, 110. 

Duffield, Edward, 32. 

Dulany, Daniel, 61, \s-\. 

Dunn, C. C., 171. 

Dyer, Eliphalet, 84. 

Edwards, Thomas, 14, 16. 

Electricity, lectures upon in the State House, 

125, 126. 
Ellery, William, 109. 
Ellis, Thomas, 14. 
Ellsworth, Oliver, 118, 142, 149. 
Evans, John, 16, 25. 
Ewing, John, 65. 
Eyre, Manuel, 158. 

Fairman, Benjamin, 14. 
Faneuil & Winslow, 68. 
Fergusson, Elizabeth, lo7. 
Few, William, 119. 
Findley, William, 116, 120. 
Fishbourne, William, 151. 
Fisher, Joshua, 54. 
Fisher, William, 54, 151. 
Fitzsimons, Thomas, 116, 118. 
Fleeson, Pluuket, 24. 
Fletcher, Benjamin, 25. 
Floyd, William, 84, 99. 
Foggo, Mrs. Anne Ilopkinson, 171. 



Forbes, General, 6, 122. 

Forney, John W., 118, note. 

Foundation of universal liberty laid by 

William Penn, 185. 
Fox, Joseph, 38, 51, 132. 
Frampton, William, 28. 
Francis, Tench, 147. 
Fkanklin, Benjamin, 16, 18, 25,3.3, 38, 40, 

41-44, 49, 53, 65, 81, 85-87, 94, 97, 101, 

106, 109, 118, 119, 124-126, 154. 
Franklin, Deborah, 43. 
Franklin, William, 18, 43. 
Franks, David, 35. 
French Minister, received at State House, 

108. 
Fuller, Benjamin, 54. 

Gadsden, Christopher, 85, 94, 98. 

Galbraith, Andrew, 16. 

Gallatin, Albert, 120. 

Galloway, Joseph, 75, 78, 79, 83, 89, 93, 132, 

133. 
George II., King, 45, 122. 
George III., King, 47, 81, 86, 123. 
Gerard, Chevalier, 108. 
Gerry, Elbridge, 75, 96, 109, 118. 
Gibson, John, 35, 151. 
Oilman, Nicholas, 118. 
Gimat, M. de, 113. 
Godfrey, Thomas, 14. 
Goldsborough, Robert, 85. 
Goodsoun, Job, 16. 
Gookin, Charles, 25. 
Gordon, Patrick, 8, 11,25. 
Oorham, Nathaniel, 118. 
Government of Pennsylvania, instituted, 2. 
Governors, of Pennsylvania, list of, 25. 
Graeme, Thomas, 24. 
Gray, Thomas, 47, 48. 
Greene, W., 28. 
Griffitts, Thomas, 151. 
Griswold, Roger, 142, 14.3. 
Growdon, Laurence, 16, 25. 
Guest, George, 4. 
Gwinnett, Button, 109. 

Hall, Captain, 68, 71. 

Hall, John, 85. 

Hall, Lyman, 85. 

Hamilton, Andrew, 9, 11-13, 16-23, 25, 

26, 122, 132, 136, 147. 
Hamilton, Alexander, 118, 120. 
Hamilton, James, 16, 18, 25,34, 39, 122, 136, 

151. 



200 



INDEX. 



Hancock, John, 68, 75, 84, 94, 102, 109, 117, 
124. 

Hand, Edward, 120. 

Hanson, John, 110. 

Harnett, Cornelius, 110. 

Harrison, Benjamin, 74, 85, 96-99, 101. 

Harrison, Henry, LSI. 

Harrison, John, 14. 

Harrison, Joseph, Jr., 180. 

Hart, John. 3. 

Hartranft, J. P., returns inkstand, 169, 170. 

Harvey, Joseph, 16. 

Harvie, John, 110. 

Samuel, 151. 
Hawker, Captain, 61. 
Hawley, Joseph, 75. 
Hazard, Samuel. 134. 
Henry, Patrick, 50, ! I 
Hesselius, Gustavus, 14. 
Hi \ ward, Thomas, Jr., 110. 
llewes. Joseph, 85, 109. 
Hill, Kichard, 151. 

Michael, 87. 
Hillsborough, Lord, 63. 
Hind, Robert, 14. 
Hitchcock, Joseph, 14. 
Holdernesse, Karl of, 39, 40. 
Holland, William, 14. 
Hollin^s worth, Levi, 154. 
Holme, Thomas 
Holten, Samuel. 109. 
Hooper, William, 85. 
Hopkins. Stephen, 49. 75, 84, 109. 
Hopkinson, Francis, 107 ; humorous account 

of speech o( a standing member by, 113- 

116. 
Hopkinson, Thomas, 25, 126. 
Hosmer, Titus 
Houston, William C, 118, 
Houstoun, John. 85. 
Howe. Sir William, 107. 
Howell, Samuel, 54. 
Hudson, William, 151. 
Hughes, John, 53. 
Hughes, Matthew, 16. 

Humphreys, Charles, 78, 85, 80, 94, 100, 106, 
Hunter, James, 54. 
Huntington, Samuel, 109. 
Huston, Alexander, 35. 
Hut son. Richard, 110. 
Hutchinson, James, 154. 

Independence, not aimed at, 63; fore- 
shadowed by Non-Importation Ui.solu- 



tions, — Philadelphia, 53, 54, New 

i 
for, 91, 92 ; action upon it in Pennsylvania, 
93,97,98; moved in CONGRESS in Rich- 
LED HENRI LEE, 94; considered. 96, 97; 
RESOLUTION ADOPTED, 100; Duuim- 
TIOM OP, submitted, 98 ; debate upon, and 
ADOPTION by twelve States, 101 ; promul- 
gation of, 102, 103; made "unanimous" 
by New York's adoption, 105; engrossed 
and signed, 105, 106 j signers o\\ for list 
e Appendix B, pace 196. 

Independence Chamber, Episcopal Conven- 
tion meets in, 120, note; Kinnerslev lect- 
ures on electricity in, 126; Lafayette's 
reception in, 158; effort in Councils 
towards its improvement, 1 58—1 62 ; its 
restoration, 163; its indiscriminate uses 
and application, 165, 171 ; design of res- 
toration, 166; return of President's chair 
and table, 166, 167; Centennial celebra- 
tion a fitting opportunity to effect restora- 
tion. 167; reports of committee, 171 ; ink- 
stand restored, 168; security against tire, 
172. 

Indians, 126, 127. 

Ingelo, Richard, 2S. 

Ingersoll, Jared, 118, 154. 

Inkstand, Independence, 24 ; traced and re- 
stored, 168, 169, 170. 

Inn opposite the State House, 129. 

Invalid Corps of the Revolution to guard the 
House, 131. 

Iredell, James, 149. 

Irvine, William, 116, 120. 

Jackson. Kichard, 48, 49. 
Jackson. William, 145. 
James, Abel, 54, 70. 
James, Rebecca, 70, note. 
James 11., King, proclaimed, 28. 
James & Drinker, 70, 72. 
Janney, Thomas, 28. 
Jay, John, 84, 99, 149. 

Jefferson, Thomas. 74, 85, 96, 97. 104, 142 
Jenifer, Daniel, of St. Thomas, 119. 
Johnson, Thomas, 75, 85, 117, 149. 
Johnson, William Samuel, 118. 
Jones. Benjamin, 16. 
Jones, Daniel, 14. 
Jones, Griffith, 151. 
Jones. Isaac, 151. 
Jones, Noble W., 85. 
! Jones, Robert, 16. 



INDEX. 



201 



Judges, list of, of Supreme Court of Province, 
24, 25; of the Supreme Court of United 
States who sat in the City Hall, 149. 

Judicial Chamber of State House completed 
aud first used, 24. 

Kearsley, John, 11-13, 16, 35. 
Keith, George, 7. 
Keith, Sir William, 25. 
Kellov, William, 69. 
Kerr, Thomas, 14. 
King, Rufug, 118. 
Kimiersley, Ebenezer, 126. 
Kinsey, James, 84. 
Kinsey, John, 14, 16, 24. 
Kirkbride, Joseph, Jr., 14, 16, 38. 

Lafayette, Marquis, 113, 158. 

Laugdou, John, 84, 118. 

Langhorne, Jeremiah, 16. 
t Langworthy, Edward, 110. 

LausiDg, John, 118. 

Laurens, Henry, 108, 110. 

Lawrence, John, 25, 151. 

Lawrence, Thomas, 11-13, 151. 

Lee, Charley 73. 

Lee, Francis Lightfoot, 85, 110. 

Lee, Henry, 144. 

I.i i;, Richard Henry, 74, 85, 94, 96, :»7, 
108, 110. 

Leech, Thomas, 16, 29, 132. 

Levy, Moses, 151. 

Lewis, Francis, 84, 99, 110. 

Lewis, William, 120. 

Lexington and Concord, battles of, 82, 86. 

Liberty, universal in Penu's grants, 185; of 
the Press first vindicated, 20, 21, 22; as- 
serted, Virginia, 50 ; by the Pennsylvania 
legislature, 52; Boston firm for, 73; all 
the Colonies a unit for, 73, 74; Philadel- 
phia pledged to it in meeting in State 
House yard, 75. 

Library of Assembly, 27. 

Lists. See, under appropriate heads, Non- 
Importation Resolutions, signers of; Con- 
gress, members of, etc. 

Livingston, Philip, 84. 

Livingston, Robert R., 84, 96, 97, 109. 

Livingston, William, 84, 118. 

Lloyd, David, II, 147. 

Lloyd, Edward, 75. 

Lloyd, Thomas, 25, 28. 

Logan, James, 6, 16, 25, 151. 

Logan, William, 25. 



Loring, Captain, 71. 

Lots purchased for State House, 12 ; title to, 

14, 131. 
Loudoun, Lord, 122. 
Lovell, James, 109. 
Lukens, Isaiah, 159, 162. 
Lynch, Thomas 
Lyon, Matthew, 142, 143. 

Madison, James, 1 1 9, 1 20. 

Makin, Thomas '■ 

Mansfield, Lord, 73. 

Marchant, Henry, 75, 109. 

Markham, William, 25. 

Marshall, John, 104, 111, 144, note, 149, note. 

Martin, Alexander, 119. 

Martin, Luther, 119. 

Mason, George, 119, 120. 

Massachusetts, takes the initiative in resist- 
ing Great Britain, 47 ; fosters union, 50; 
circular letter, 62. 

Masters, Thomas, 151. 

Matthews, 110. 

Mauduit, Israel, 47. 

Mayors of Philadelphia, list of, 150, 151. 

McCall, Samuel, 35. 

McClurg, James, 119. 

McHenry, James, 119. 

MeKeau, Thomas, 75, 85, 96, 100, 109, 110, 
120. 

Mechanics employed at State House, 14. 

Mercer, John Francis, 119. 

Middleton, Henry, 85. 

Mifflin, Samuel, 35, 54. 

Mifflin, Thomas, 25, 74, 78, 85, 89, 118, 120. 

Miles, Samuel, 75, 151. 

Militia, establishment attempted, 34-38; ef- 
fected, 86. 

Mills, Robert, 157. 

Monington, William, 11. 

Montgomery, Thomas, 54. 

Moore, Alfred, 149. 

Moore, William, 16, 25. 

Morgan, George, 134. 

Morris, Anthony, 30, 151. 

Morris, Anthony M., 151. 

Morris, Gouverneur, 23, 110, 118. 

Morris, Joshua, 36, 38. 

Morris, Lewis, 84. 

Monis, Robert, 85, 86, 88, 93, 94, 106, 110, 
118, 137, 139, 140. 

Morris, Robert Hunter, 25, 34, 122. 

Morse, Samuel F. B., 126. 



202 



INDEX. 



Morton, John, 25, 38, 52, 64, 75, 78, 85, 
89, 94. 

Muhlenberg, Frederick A., 1 16. 

Museum, National, plans for, 179 ; exten- 
sion of, 182-184 ; Peale's, see Peale's Mu- 
seum. 

Nelson, Thomas, Jr., 85, 94, 109. 

Newspapers in mourning, 55-57, 60. 

New York withholds concurrence in Inde- 
pendence, 99 ; finally adopts it, 105. 

Nicholas, Robert C, 77. 

Nixon, John, 103. 

Noailles, Comte de, 113. 

Non-Importation Resolutions of the 
merchants of Philadelphia, 53 ; foreshadow 
Independence, 54; list of signers of, 191- 
195 (Appendix A) ; of New York, 54 ; of 
Boston, 55. 

Norris, Charles, 27. 

Norris, Isaac, 6, 29-32, 40, 41, 132, 151. 

North, Lord, 82. 

Observatory, the, in State House Square, 

64. 
Okill, George, 35. 
Open doors, efforts to, of Assembly, 88, 89; 

of Senate of the United States, 145. 
Ord, John, 54. 
Otis, James, 47, 48, 5Q. 

Paca, William, 75, 85. 

Paine, Robert Treat, 77, 84. 

Palmer, Anthony, 25. 

Palmer, Jonathan, 14. 

Parry, John, 16. 

Parsons, Samuel H., 75. 

Parvin, Francis, 36. 

Paschall, Thomas, 54. 

Pass, 30, 31. 

Pastorius, Francis Daniel, 7. 

Paterson, William, 118, 149. 

Paxton Boys march on Philadelphia, 45. 

Peale, Charles W., 113, 121, 154-156, 165. 

Peale's gallery of portraits purchased by 

city, 165; museum, sketch of, 154-156; 

its removal into State House, 155. 
Pearne, Richard, 38. 
Pearson, Isaac, 75, 93. 
Pearson, James, 65. 
Peglar, Thomas, 14. 
Pemberton, Israel, 16, 
Pemberton, James, 36, 38. 
Pemberton, Phinehas, 28. 



Pendleton, Edmund, 74, 85, 92. 

Penn, John, 25, 40, 46, 58, 82, 122. 

Penn, John, of North Carolina, 85, 110. 

Penn, Juliana, Lady, 27. 

Penn, Richard, 25, 122. 

Penn, Thomas, 27, 131. 

Penn, William, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 17, 23, 25, 
27, 35, 39, 47, 81, 88, 123, 124, 127, 146, 
164, 180, 181; lays the foundation of 
universal liberty, 185, 189. 

Penn's cottage, 4. 

Penn's portrait secured for National Museum, 
180. 

Penn's tablet in Independence Hall, 185. 

Pennington, Edward, 132, 133. 

Pennsylvania concurs with Virginia, 93, 97, 
98; delegates in Congress vote against 
independence, 99. 

Pennsylvania Hospital, 64. 

Peters, Richard, 27, 40. 

Peters, William, 36. 

Philadelphia, library occupies western wing, 
130; applies for lot, 152. See City. 

Philosophical Society, 64; its building, 152- 
154; grant of lot to, 152, note; subscrib- 
ers to, 154. 

Pickering, Timothy, 120. 

Pierce, William, 119. 

Pinckney, Charles, 119. 

Pinckney, Charles C, 119. 

Pitt, William, 44, 61. 

Plumsted, Clement, 151. 

Plumsted, William, 35, 151. 

Port Bill, Boston, effect in Philadelphia, 74. 

Portrait, selected for Independence Cham- 
ber, 173 ; list of, 174-179 ; list of, in Na- 
tional Museum, 181, 182; list of, of 
" signers " never taken, but manufactured, 
173. 

Potts, Stephen, 16. 

Powel, Samuel, 151. 

Proud, Robert, 7. 

Preston, Samuel, 151. 

Pryor, Thomas, 65. 

Quincy, Josiah, Jr., 81. 

Randolph, Edmund, 119. 

Randolph, Peyton, 74, 77, 85, 117. 

Read, Charles, 151. 

Read, George, 75, 85, 118. 

Read, John M., 173. 

Redman, Thomas, 14. 

Reed, Joseph, 25, 93, 110, 151. 



INDEX. 



203 



Revere, Paul, 74. 
Rhea, John, 54. 

Rhoads, Samuel, 75, 78, 132, 133, 151. 
Rhode Island follows Massachusetts in re- 
sisting Groat Britain's aggressions, 49. 
Rittenhouse, David, 32, 154. 
Roades, Jonathan, 28. 
Roberdeau, Daniel, 86, 90, 110. 
Roberts, Edward, 151. 
Robeson, Jonathan, 10. 
Tvobinson, Septimus, 16. 
Roch, George, 151. 
Rockingham, Marquis of, 124. 
Rodman, William, 75. 
Rodney, Ctesar, 75, 85. 
Rogers, John, 85, 96, 100. 
Ross, George, 78, 85, 86, 88, 89, 94, 106. 
Ross, James, 120. 
Rotch, Mr., 71. 
C Rmlyard, Governor, 17. 

Rush, Benjamin, 106, 154, 163. 
Rutledge, Edward, 85, 96, 100, 109. 
Rutledge, John, 85, 98, note, 119, 149. 

Schlosser, George, 54. 

School House used for Assembly, 7. 

Schuyler, Philip, 84. 

Scudder, Nathaniel, 110. 

Seabury, Bishop, 120, note. 

Settlement of Pennsylvania, 2. 

Sheafe, Edward, 47, 48. 

Sherman, Roger, 84, 97, 109, 118. 

Shippen, Edward, 25, 151. 

Shippen, Joseph, 7, 65. 

Shoemaker, Benjamin, 151. 

Shoemaker, John L., 167. 

Shoemaker, Samuel, 151. 

Shoemaker, Thomas, 14. 

Shute, Atwood, 151. 

Simpcock, Jonathan, 28. 

Smith, Francis G., 158, 160, 162. 

Smith, James, 106. 

Smith, John Jay, 171. 

Smith, Jonathan B., 110, 154. 

Smith, Richard, 84. 

Smith, William, 74-76. 

Southbee, William, 28. 

Spaight, Richard Dobbs, 119. 

Square, the. See Yard. 

Stamp Act anticipated, 47, 48 ; passed, 49 ; 
resisted, 50-58 ; repeal announced in Phil- 
adelphia, 58 ; rejoicings, 61 ; banquet upon 
it, 123. 

Stamper, John, 151. 



Stamps in use and proposed, 50; attempted 
to be landed in Philadelphia, 52, 53, 59, 
60 ; burnt, 55. 

Stanbury, Nathan, 151. 

State House, application to build a, 8 ; neces- 
. sity for, considered and determined, 9 ; 
draft of act, 10; trustees appointed, 11, 
14; plans of Dr. Kearsley, 12; ground 
purchased, 12; plans of Mr. Hamilton, 
12; adopted, and Mr. Hamilton requested 
to carry them out, 13 ; ground to the south- 
ward not to be built upon, 14 ; first occu- 
pied by Assembly, 15, 16; first occupied 
by Supreme Court, 24; first occupied by 
Governor's Council, 25 ; finished, 32. 

St. Clair, Arthur, 111, 116. 

Stedman, Alexander, 25. 

Steeple finished, 15 ; project to take down, 
127; errors in consequence, 128; taken 
down, 128 ; restored, and debate in Coun- 
cil thereupon, 158-162. 

Stiles, Ezra, 82. 

Stokley, William S., 151 ; assists the resto- 
ration of Independence Hall, 168; re- 
ceives the inkstand, 169. 

Stone, Thomas, 85, 109. 

Stoops, James, 14. 

Story, Thomas, 147. 

Stow, Charles, 30. 

St. Pierre, Legardeur de, 40. 

Stretch, Peter, 32, 38. 

Strettell, Amos, 35. 

Strettell, Robert, 151. 

Sullivan, John, 84. 

Supreme Court, 7 ; occupies its chamber, 24 ; 
Judges of, 24, 25 ; occupies " Wing," 131 ; 
occupies City Hall, 150; occupies Inde- 
pendence Chamber, 155; removes into 
Congress Hall, 157. 

Supreme Court of United States, Justices 
of, in City Hall, 149. 

Supreme Executive Council, 116. 

Sutton, Captain, 27. 

Syng, Philip, 24, 26, 168. 

Taylor, Christopher, 28. 

Taylor, George, 52, 88, 106. 

Tea sent to Colonies, 67 ; first opposition in 

the State House yard, 67 ; followed by 

Boston, 68, note j New York ; 69, note ; 

attempt to land in Philadelphia, 68-72; 

Boston Tea Party, 71. 
Telfair, Edward, 110. 
Thatcher, Oxenbridge, 47, 48. 



204 



INDEX. 



Thomas, George, 25, 33, 39. 

Thompson, John (hatter), 101. 

Thompson, John W., 158. 

Thompson, Oswald, 157, note. 

Thompson, William, 86, 89. 

Thomson, Charles, 65, 74, 78, 89, 96, 101, 

102, 106, 108, 131. 
Tilghman, Benjamin, 158, 160, 161. 
Tilghman, Matthew, 75, 81, 85. 
Till, William, 24, 151. 
Title to State House Square, 13, 14, 131- 

133, 136, 157. 
Tomlinson, Ebenezer, 14. 
Town House, 7. 
Trent, William, 6. 
Tresse, Thomas, 11. 
Trotter, Joseph, 36, 38. 
Turner, Joseph, 25, 35. 

Union, the, first broached in Independence 
Hall, 39; Franklin's suggestion for, 
43; Massachusetts fosters it, 50; 
Ezra Stiles predicts, 82 ; developed at 
Carpenter's Hall, 79, 80 ; efforts to dis- 
solve made by the Government, 82 ; failure 
of the attempt upon Pennsylvania, 83 ; 
the first thing to be secured, essential to 
liberty, 91 ; effected in 1776, 105, 106; 

MADE MORE PERFECT, 118, 119; resume' 

of, 124, 188. 

Vandyke, Nicholas, 110. 

Van Home, Christian, 16. 

Vaughan, John, 154. 

Vaughan, Samuel, 134, 154. 

Vaux, Roberts, 164. 

Virginia instructs her delegates in 

Congress to offer the Resolution 

for Independence, 91, 92. 

Wallace, John, 35. 

Walton, John, 110. 

Ward, Henry, 75. 

Ward, Samuel, 84. 

Warner, Edward, 16, 29. 

Washington, Bushrod, 149. 

Washington, George, first named in In- 
dependence Hall, 15,40, 74, 85, 103, 113, 
117, 119; inaugurated as President in 
Congress Hall, 141 ; death announced, 
143, 144, 154, 158, 163, 173. 

Watson, Luke, 48. 



Way, Francis, 8. 

Wayne, Anthony, 86, 89. 

Webb, William," 11, 16. • 

" Welcome," the, 2. 

Wells, Rachel, 27. 

Wentworth John, Jr., 109. 

West, Thomas, 54. 

Wharton, Samuel, 54. 

Wharton, Thomas I., 164. 

White, S., 51. 

White, Townsend, 35. 

Whitpain, Richard, 6 ; house of, 6. 

Whitpain, Sarah, 6. 

Wilbank, John, 159, 162, 163. 

Wilcocks, John, 35, 93, 147, 151. 

Wilcocks, Joseph, 151. 

Wilkinson, Brian, 14. 

Williams, John, 110. 

Williams, Jonathan, 69. 

Williams, William, 75. 

Williamson, Hugh, 05, 119. 

Willing, Charles, 151. 

Willing, Thomas, 25, 54, 75, 78, 83, 85, 86, 
94, 100, 106, 151. 

Wilson, James, 83, 85, 96, 106, 118, 120, 
149, 154. 

Wings of the State House ordered to be built, 
15, 129-131; occupation of, 130; altered 
by city, 135, 156, 157; plan to restore, to 
original for use as part of National Mu- 
seum, 182, 1S3. 

Wise, Captain, 58. 

Wrsner, Henry, 84, 99. 

Witherspoon, John, 110. 

Wolcott, Oliver, 109. 

Wood, Joseph, 35. 

Wood, William, 28. 

Woolley, Edmund, 14, 26, 30. 

Worrall, Peter, 36, 38. 

Wright, Patience, 27. 

Wythe, George, 85, 96, 119. 

Yard, State House, extent of, originally, 
131 ; ordered to be laid out in walks, 133, 
134; its walls, 134; its railings, 134, 135; 
not to be built upon, 14, 157. 

Yates, Robert, 118. 

York, Duke of, 2, 28. 

Zenger, John Peter, 19-21 ; his trial, 19. 
Zubly, John J., 85. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




